


Bond

by Capucine



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Human, Ensemble Cast, F/F, F/M, Long, M/M, Mentions of past noncon, Multi, Sexual Assault, attempted noncon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-23
Updated: 2017-03-02
Packaged: 2018-03-31 19:45:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 15
Words: 26,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3990481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Capucine/pseuds/Capucine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ludwig just wants to protect what's his in an increasingly corrupt society. Gilbert wants to overturn a government crumbling with a sickening malaise. And Elisaveta wants to punish those who have hurt her and her own.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Charlotte is 2P Nyotalia America. More tags will be added as chapters are added.

Ludwig sat calmly in the chair; his wrists were manacled to the table, and the air smelled like metal and cheap aftershave. Two Alpha police were on the other side of the table; one he recognized as the chief interrogator, Charlotte Jones. She was known best for once beating a suspect with a baseball bat, and getting away with it scot-free. She kept reapplying lip gloss as she watched her partner try to draw out answers from Ludwig.

“What were you doing, April 11th of this year?” Arthur Kirkland repeated, a characteristic scowl on his face. He was a tad small for an Alpha, but his scent was quite clear. He was most known for being the one who stripped down a fifteen year old boy (Raivis, he was on Ludwig's side) and tazed him repeatedly. The boy still carried scars from the ordeal.

“I have told you. I was at a birthday party all evening,” Ludwig said evenly. He didn't doubt that eventually both would lose their temper, that he would be at their mercy. It didn't scare him; he could take anything they could dish out, and if they killed him? Well, they didn't dare. They would be on probation for months, at the very least, half-pay and half-dignity.

Ludwig knew the system fairly well by now. He watched as Arthur's face screwed up a bit in irritation.

“Fuck that. What kind of 'resistance fighter' goes to birthday parties? Tell me where you really were.”

Ludwig was actually telling the truth. It was his Omega's brother's party, a dear friend of his who had introduced them. Feliciano liked parties and fancy clothes and all kinds of frivolous things like that; considering his status as a great artist, he could afford it.

“I'm only going to continue to tell you the same thing, as it is the truth. I had nothing to do with the beating of Francis Bonnefoy.”

Francis Bonnefoy was a police member also. He was best known for his flirtation with any and every Omega, mated or not. There were a few times he had gone beyond flirtation, and that, Ludwig was pretty sure, was what had lead to the beatdown, rather than some conspiracy against the force.

However, that was not the way that the police force saw it. With the civil unrest plaguing the country, a push for change against a corrupt system, they saw everything through suspicious eyes. There was no chance that Francis putting his paws on a mated Omega's ass had brought a well-deserved beating in their minds. Instead, it was clearly the ones pushing for a change in government.

“You resistance nuts are all the same,” Arthur sneered, “You honestly think you can beat a well-trained force. How stupid you must feel now, so easily captured and brought in.”

“I am neither a terrorist nor a criminal,” Ludwig said evenly, “I am merely working for change. We have done nothing wrong as a group.”

Charlotte laughed. “Try telling that to the senator you mobbed.”

“That was not us,” Ludwig said, keeping his tone calm. “We are working peacefully.”

“Peacefully?” Arthur pushed the photographs in front of Ludwig; Francis's injuries were clear, from the blacked eyes to the X-ray of his broken pelvis to the handfuls of missing hair. “You call this peaceful?”

Ludwig sealed his lips. He had told them time and again already that they had nothing to do with this. He had nothing more to say.

“Gonna clam up, huh?” Charlotte said, a smirk across her face. “Oh, we know how you work, Mr. Beilschmidt; you've been in here so often. Tell me, did your nose heal right since last time?”

He just looked across at her with a serious look.

She giggled a little. “Yeah, I know, tough and silent.” She looked towards the door of the interrogation room, saying with a smirk, “I think we've found a way around it, finally.”

This concerned Ludwig. He hoped it wasn't some severe torture, though he knew they had never gotten all that elaborate or clever at this place. Pure pain, he could handle. He could take any of it.

The door opened, and two people came in—one in the uniform, the other stumbling along in pajamas.

Ludwig's heart stopped, as he stared and fought to keep the emotion off of his face: Lovino, his mate, was brought stumblingly along in his bare feet and a pair of boxers plus the tanktop he wore for bed. 

“Fuck you, let me go!” Lovino snapped, surely roused out of a sound sleep earlier that evening. He was looking around, that light in the back of his eyes that signified fear, and he spotted Ludwig. “Ludwig!” No more words came after that, a sort of mute anger and fear in his face. It was as though he had realized that he was to be used against Ludwig.

Ludwig's teeth clenched together, and he ground out, “Leave Lovino out of this. He hasn't broken any laws, and in any case, the fines would fall to me, as his Alpha.”

Charlotte stood, and, in inappropriately high heels for a policewoman, flounced over to Lovino. She stood a head taller than him, and took his face in her brown hand. “Hm. He is a looker, I will admit that much. I'm surprised a fucktard like you was able to snatch him up, Ludwig.”

Lovino tried to pull his face out of her grip, but she was obviously too strong. “Fuck you, lady, let me--”

He cut it off with a cry when she slapped him.

Ludwig's blood was pulsing angrily, and it was all he could do not to roar at her. “Charlotte--”

“That's Chief Interrogator Jones to you,” she said haughtily, still gripping Lovino tightly. The policeman with him, one Yao Wang, winced a little at the way her manicured fingernails were clearly breaking the skin on Lovino's face.

It was like a fire in Ludwig's chest, and he said lowly, “Leave him out of this, or you will regret it.”

“I really don't think I will,” Charlotte said, grinning at Ludwig. She pulled Lovino away from Officer Wang, and brought him to the table. She didn't bother handcuffing or manacling him; she simply slammed him down in a metal chair next to hers.

Arthur, something of a smirk in the corners of his lips, said, “Now, what were you doing and where were you on April 11th this year?”

“I was at a birthday party,” Ludwig ground out, “for Lovino's brother, Feliciano. We got him a beach umbrella that Lovino thought was hideous.”

“Very hideous,” Lovino muttered, his eyes turned down towards his hands.

Arthur looked exasperated. He glanced over at Charlotte, and she said, “I'm sure you can do better than that.” Her fingers traced Lovino's face, as though she would claw him any second now. “Tell us the truth.”

Ludwig snapped, “I am telling you the truth! I had nothing to do with the beating of Officer Bonnefoy!”

She raked her long nails across Lovino's face, as he screamed and nearly fell out of the chair trying to get away. But she caught him by the front of his tank top, and he sat there trying not to cry as the lines slowly filled with blood.

Ludwig's head pounded with rage. Lovino was his to protect, and there was nothing he could do to stop them. He twisted in the manacles, but it only bruised his wrists. “Stop it! Leave him out of this!”

Charlotte grinned, turning Lovino's face to get a good look at the scratches. “Yeah, he looks good like this. I can see why you like him so much.”

Arthur droned, “April 11th of this year. You're going to want to answer honestly this time.”

“I didn't do it! I know who did it: Sadik Adnan, when Francis groped his Omega, Gupta Mohammed Hassan. It was a simple reaction to an assault on his property.” Ludwig could imagine his fists battering Charlotte's face, perhaps even kicking her and shattering ribs. All he knew was, the need to hurt (and more importantly, protect) was raging within him.

Charlotte shook her head, mock pity on her face. Wordlessly, she punched Lovino in the jaw, and his lip began to bleed. He was gasping in pain, and he tried to turn to look at Ludwig, but Charlotte grabbed his face again, forcing him to look her. “No, no, that won't work. Ludwig's not going to save you, poor baby.”

“I'm not a fucking baby!” Lovino snapped, though he cringed when she raised her other hand.

She just laughed, however. “Even my Omega isn't that skittish. Whatever do you do to him, Ludwig?”

Ludwig growled, “I do not do anything to him. Leave him out of this or you will regret it, I promise you.”

“April 11th of this year,” Arthur said, tone bored.

“I didn't do it!” Ludwig roared helplessly, “I was at a birthday party, I was not anywhere near that damn fucking bastard! Leave Lovino alone!”

Lovino cringed, sure he would feel more pain. 

Charlotte began to trace his face, as if taking it in. “You're a pretty one, you know that?” Her eyes darted over to Ludwig, making sure he heard it. “So pretty.”

That set Lovino trembling. His face had gone pale, and abruptly, he made a break for the door.

That was not a smart move. Charlotte was faster and stronger, and she dragged him back. “Not very polite, are you? But like I said, a real looker.”

“Keep your hands off him!” Ludwig shouted, and if the table hadn't been bolted to the floor, he was sure he would have upended it with his struggles against the manacles.

Arthur kept a bored expression on his face, like this was normal. “Charlotte, at least do it quickly instead of playing with him.”

Charlotte ignored Arthur. She trailed her hand along Lovino's jaw, touching his lips. He was clearly shaking, terrified. She laughed. “I haven't even done anything yet, and look at him; he's crying and shaking like a leaf!”

Arthur harrumphed. “Charlotte. We have another case after this one.”

Ludwig's mind was a boiling rage. He swore loudly, shouting at her, “Leave him the hell alone or I will kill you, do you understand, I will pull your lungs out of your mouth and watch you suffocate!”

“Aw, I think he likes you,” Charlotte said to Lovino. She abruptly turned him against the wall, hands going for his tightly-tied drawstring when she realized she couldn't just yank down his boxers. She was clearly about to do something that could never be taken back; Lovino screamed, a desperate cry of, “Ludwig!”

“I did it! I beat him! Now leave my mate alone!” Ludwig roared, a lot more fear in his voice than he would have liked there to be.

“We have a confession,” Arthur said with a smirk.

Charlotte let Lovino go, and he slumped against the wall, sobbing. “Thank you, Ludwig,” she said, adding, with a mocking look on her face, “Was that so hard?”

Ludwig could only think of Lovino's past. He could only think of the great trauma that his mate was experiencing right now, bringing him back to those horrible memories. He said, ignoring Charlotte and Arthur, “It'll be all right, Lovino, I won't let anyone harm you.”

“Ha, I'd like to see how you do that from inside jail,” Charlotte smirked, and she nodded to Officer Wang. “Please take Mr. Beilschmidt to his cell.”

Ludwig knew he had to talk to Lovino quickly; there was no time to comfort him, only to protect him. “Lovino—go to Gilbert. He'll take care of you. If you don't remember where he lives, Elisaveta knows, you just need to visit my workplace to find her. I promise he will keep you safe, like I would.”

Lovino stood against the wall, eyes red-rimmed but nodding. His drawstring was undone, but he didn't seem to notice. His limbs still shook, and he said, “But what if I can't get there from here? What if someone stops me?” 

Ludwig was already being wrestled away from the table, hands cuffed behind his back as Officer Wang and Arthur led him away. “Call my workplace—Elisaveta will come for you! Be safe, promise me!”

“I will!” Lovino looked like he would crumple back into tears, as he said, “Just, just please come back.”

“I swear I will,” Ludwig managed, and he was out of the room.

It was to jail for him. He had no doubt he would be fine; his gut seemed to worry itself into knots over Lovino, however.


	2. Chapter 2

Lovino clutched the cell phone tightly in his hands, standing outside the police station and shivering in his bed clothes. It was honestly too cold, even though it was late spring, to be out so lightly dressed. That, combined with the nauseating fear in his gut, sent his knees nearly knocking.

_Elisaveta Hedervary, Head of the Interns for Flavor Development Inc. If you're looking for a chemistry internship, leave your name, phone number, and college identification number; any other reason, just leave your name, phone number, and a brief message._

It was the third time the message had played, and Lovino shouted into the phone, “Goddamnit, pick it up, you fucking bastard!”

He slammed it shut, the cell phone being an old model that folded. He and Ludwig had been cutting costs any way they could, saving for a down payment on a house outside of the city with a nice yard.

Lovino knew he was crying again, so he swiped at his face, but it did no good. He must have been horribly swollen and red in the face. 

How was he supposed to get to Gilbert's if he had no one to drive him? He didn't even remember where the other lived, only that it was hidden behind another house, a large lot shared between them. It was the middle of the night, and Elisaveta would not be at Flavor Development Inc.

Feliciano. Surely he could get ahold of him. His Beta brother frequently left his cell phone in odd places where he couldn't hear it, but he was kind of his only hope.

Lovino chose the contact, and was immediately met with the message that the number he was trying to contact was offline.

By now, he was seriously scared. He didn't have any id or money, literally nothing on his person besides, thank god, his cell phone that he had managed to snag before they dragged him out of the house.

And he didn't like the looks he was getting. He felt almost naked, boxers seeming impossibly short and too much of his upper body exposed. He could feel his shoulders concave his chest, and his legs were held stiffly together.

“Please,” he begged his phone, going through the contacts. He did not have many friends, and even fewer Alphas or Betas, who were actually allowed to drive.

Vincenzo, his young brother, was an Omega too. He didn't have Gilbert's number, much less any of Ludwig's other brothers. Giovanni, his estranged brother, lived on the other side of the country and was not about to board a plane for Lovino. Kiku's number was out of date, and Ludwig had been supposed to get the new number for Lovino, but... wait, that was Lovino's fault, it had been written on the fridge for weeks.

He swallowed thickly, eying the last number. He was still shivering, but it felt like the cold had really reached into his gut and frozen it.

Antonio. 

He really didn't want to call him. And he might not've, had a hand not grabbed his ass, hot breath on his ear. “What's an Omega doing here, alone, at this time of the night?”

Lovino slammed his elbow back, heart pounding his ears as he snapped, “Not fucking you, you fucking prick!” He tore free, turning about to see the badge glinting on the Alpha's chest.

He turned and ran, but the Alpha didn't pursue, just laughed, holding his side a little.

His feet hurt, he realized, as he ducked under the awning of a small shop. He had cut them on the rough sidewalks.

He flipped open his phone again, and with a pitter-pattering heart, he dialed.

“Hello, this is Antonio!” It wasn't a recording. The Alpha had long been able to wake up instantly with good cheer.

“Antonio,” Lovino said, and abruptly, he dissolved into inarticulate tears, sobbing into the phone. He didn't know what he was most afraid of at the moment, but he felt small, helpless, and backed into a corner.

“I'm coming to pick you up. Where are you?”

He choked out the name of the store, and Antonio hung up.

Lovino felt nasty, like he'd called a sex service over the phone. He felt slimy and shaky and altogether like everything was wrong.

Of course it was wrong. Ludwig was in jail and Lovino had no one to help him. And he'd called _Antonio_ , what did he expect, that he would feel happy little butterflies in his stomach?

It only took ten minutes. The orange car was immediately identifiable as Antonio's because the fat tomato antenna topper. 

Lovino's thoughts raced. If he turned and ran now, he was sure he could disappear down an alley before Antonio could find him. Perhaps he could hide in a box. But then, there could be many worse people out there than Antonio, couldn't there? At least he knew Antonio. At least he was pretty sure what to expect.

The car slowly braked, and then parked. The headlights went off, and Antonio was already out of the driver's side, coming towards Lovino.

He had the most sympathetic face that Lovino had ever seen. He looked genuinely sad for Lovino, as he came over and hugged him tightly, either not noticing or ignoring the way Lovino stiffened.

“Oh, Lovi! I can't believe that bastard kicked you out in just that!” His nose was too close to Lovino's face, his breath on his ear.

It kind of hurt that Antonio assumed he'd been kicked out, abandoned. Then again, that's what the Alpha had predicted. Lovino squirmed out of his hug, and said, head hanging down and unable to look Antonio in the eye, “I... I just need a ride, bastard.”

“Of course, of course! Back home?” Antonio was already inspecting him for damaged, making a tongue click as he saw the marks on his face. “Did Ludwig do this to you?”

“No.” Lovino was reluctant to admit any more than that. “I just... I need two rides. One to home, the other to Gilbert Beilschmidt's. You know him.”

Antonio enfolded him in another hug, saying softly, “My poor little one. I was so worried about you.”

Lovino wanted to get in the car, go home, get the things he needed, and then get to Gilbert's. He did not want to deal with Antonio. “I... bastard, can't we just go?”

“Of course. I'll take good care of you, like I promised I would,” Antonio said, voice oozing with protective airs. He opened the back door of his car, gesturing towards the back seat. “There's a blanket, and you can lie down if you want to. You look so cold, but don't worry, I'll make it okay.” His hand was already gently grabbing Lovino's arm, to lead him towards the car.

Something was not right, but it never was with Antonio. Lovino got in the back seat, saying, “Okay, okay, bastard. Enough touching.” There was indeed a warm blanket, and Lovino curled up in it, shivering starting to subside as Antonio got into the front seat.

“You okay back there? You look terrible,” Antonio said, putting the car in drive.

“Yeah,” Lovino said, starting to relax a little. Antonio was okay right now. He would just take him home, and then take him to Gilbert.

As the car started off down the road, a thought occurred to Lovino. If he just called Gilbert on Antonio's phone, then Gilbert could meet him at Ludwig and Lovino's home, and there would be less time spent with Antonio. “Hey, uh, can I call Gilbert on your phone?”

A millisecond of hesitance. “Oh, I already tried to call him. Not available.”

“I'll just keep calling until he picks up. Gimme your phone.” 

“No, no, I have no battery.” Antonio took a smooth turn, glancing back at Lovino with the rearview mirror. “Hey, did you want to get something to eat? We can buy something, or I can fix you something.”

Anxiety was already aggressively crawling through Lovino's gut. As he looked out the window, it became a full-fledged panic attack. “You fucking bastard, you're going the wrong fucking way!”

“No, I'm not. We're going home,” Antonio said, as if this was a reasonable response.

Lovino tried to control his breathing, which was quickly becoming hyperventilating. “No, no, _my_ home, Antonio! We have to go my fucking apartment!”

Antonio chuckled. “You don't have a home. He kicked you out. Don't worry, I still have some of your things, and I'm sure I have some chicken soup to help you calm down--”

Lovino immediately tried to open the car door, shouting, when he found the child security lock was on, “No! Stop! Take me to fucking Gilbert's, you fucking bastard, open the damn door!”

“If Ludwig doesn't want you, what makes you think Gilbert will? Don't you think it's kind of inappropriate to try to mate with an old mate's brother?” He clicked his tongue, saying, “Lovi, you always were such a deviant.”

Lovino was crying, as he screamed, “Ludwig still wants me! He's just in fucking jail, let me go!”

Antonio didn't seem bothered that his first assessment was wrong. He just shrugged, saying, “He's not a good mate for you if he's in jail.”

Lovino curled in on himself in the backseat, not daring to raise a hand against Antonio to get him to stop the car. He was shaking again, though this time he wasn't cold. “Just take me to Gilbert's, please--”

“You know what they say about people who leave their first mates, Lovino,” Antonio said, as if he was teaching Lovino an important lesson, “Damaged in the head. Don't know what they're doing, trying to break a bond so strong. Well, I'm going to take care of you. I'm taking you back, like a good mate. I don't mind this dalliance with Ludwig; you're confused.”

Lovino threw himself against the door. It didn't budge in the slightest, and now his shoulder hurt.

“We're going get right back to normal, like you never left. It'll be okay, and you know what? We'll even have your favorite tonight, tomato soup with pepperoni. As much as you want.” Antonio still insisted on keeping a normal, cheerful tone throughout this whole thing.

Lovino wept in the back seat, curled in on himself once more.

Antonio had been the worst choice after all.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sophie = Nyotalia Austria  
> Sakura = Nyotalia Japan  
> Klaus = Kugelmugel

Gilbert always kept his cell phone by his bed. It couldn't be called fancy, but it was military grade, unbreakable, indestructible, able to find a signal anywhere. The internet on it sucked, but that was a small price to pay for complete reliability.

It was buzzing loudly when he came to from his deep sleep, though that wasn't what woke him up. Instead, it was the foot and elbow of his mate prodding him and sleepily saying,

“Gilbert, pick up the phone.”

He was the type of person who, once they woke up, was up easily. He turned on the phone, answering with a, “Yeah? What's up?”

“Gilbert, we have a fucking crisis. Ludwig's in jail, for starters--”

“Elisaveta? God, why'd you call at—what do you mean Ludwig's in jail?” He was definitely awake now. He moved out from under the comforter, sitting on the bed and turning on the bedside lamp.

Sakura, his mate, was sitting up in bed now as well, turning on her lamp and shifting over to sit next to him.

“Yes, he's in jail. But that's not the worst part—Klaus hid my phone, and Lovino tried to call during that time.”

“Oh, shit. Is he scared? We should probably go over there and--”

“Gilbert, he's not at the apartment. I've already been there. He needed a ride to your house, but he's nowhere. I searched all around the police station. Something has happened to him.” Elisaveta sounded like she was kicking herself, though there was also an urgency to her tone. “Please say he's there.”

“God, no, he's not. Shit. Fucking shit. He's got his cell phone, right? Have you called him?” Gilbert was already standing, slipping his feet into his shoes. Sakura wordlessly helped him out of his pajamas and into a t-shirt and jeans.

“No, he won't pick up. You know how this city has been lately; he could be anywhere, and you know he can't defend himself, not against an Alpha.”

“Shoulda listened to Sakura,” Gilbert cursed to himself. “Should've gotten him training with her.”

Sakura was putting on her own clothes as well. Gilbert watched as she slipped a tanto into her belt. Where some Omegas might carry pepper spray or a whistle, Sakura was a martial artist, capable of taking down Alphas twice her size.

“Yeah, that's a big help now, idiot.” Elisaveta sounded irritated, and in the background, Gilbert could make out a voice, very feminine and instantly recognizable. “One sec,” Elisaveta sighed, but Gilbert could still hear her say, “Sophie, just go back to bed, I've got this handled.”

“Tell Priss to stop talking,” Gilbert said, rolling his eyes. Knowing Sophie, she was probably going on about the lack of cake in the fridge or whether or not Klaus had gotten enough milk that day.

Elisaveta seemed to ignore his comment, saying, “You, me, and Sakura can set out in about ten minutes. We might be able to pick up Lovino's scent at the police station; that's where he was.”

Gilbert nodded. “Meet you there in ten minutes, then. Bye.”

“Yeah, bye.” Elisaveta hung up.

Gilbert quickly turned to Sakura, asking, “You catch that, or are there any gaps?”

Sakura shook her head. “You have your speakers on very loud; I caught every word.” She shook her head, a bit of compassion in her eyes. “He must be scared senseless.”

It wasn't exactly a secret that Lovino suffered from some sort of hysteria. Though, hysteria was kind of a catch-all term for when an Omega had inexplicable emotional distress. Or refused sex. Or tried to do 'Alpha things.'

Sakura was already headed for the kitchen, and Gilbert followed. She was a thoughtful person, and she threw their leftover dinner into a lunchbag, grabbed a bottle of water, a blanket, and a large, powerful flashlight. There was already a first aid kit in the car.

Gilbert felt that hint of pride in his chest at Sakura's sharp mind, but that was a compliment for another time. Instead, they got in the car and headed for the police station.

“Gilbert,” Sakura said softly, “If he's seriously hurt, you're going to want to stay back.”

“Mm? Why's that?” Gilbert made a right turn, glancing at his mate.

“He'll be scared by your scent,” she said, things piled in a bag on her lap. She had a solemn look on her face, as she added, “You know the nose is stronger than the eyes for an Omega that's seriously traumatized.”

Gilbert cursed. “Fucking hell. I hope he's not. I hope to god he's not. He's hard enough to handle.”

He quickly amended himself, as he felt Sakura look at him. It was never reproachful, never a sharp look, but he could tell exactly what she was thinking. “Of course, that's not the only reason. Kid's been through enough.”

They shouldn't have to nearly assume he was assaulted somehow, but this city had seen better days, and the police were more of a propagator of these kinds of crimes, though it was still most often civilians who did it. Gilbert could feel a sort of boiling anger in his gut.

This was the world he was trying to change, a place where an Omega didn't feel safe after dark, a place where votes were bought and two-thirds of the population didn't have a voice. He was one of the ones who had a voice, yes, but every Beta and Omega should have one too.

His hands clenched on the steering wheel, and he parked on the street about a block down from the police station. “Come on, Sakura. We'd better find him.”

She followed him wordlessly. He could already catch Elisaveta's scent in the air, and he found her standing in front of the doors to the station, eyes closed in concentration.

“You pick up anything?” Gilbert asked.

Elisaveta groaned. “There're so many people who've been through here today. And I really don’t know... His scent isn’t incredibly familiar to me. It’s not like he’s my mate; I’d be able to pick up Sophie anywhere.”

Gilbert nodded. He knew how that worked: the closer the bond, the easier the scent was to recognize. “Okay. I’ll try, you too, Sakura.”

A Beta would never be able to pick up a scent; that was the advantage of being Omega or Alpha, though Omegas were said to have the more sensitive nose. It was one reason Betas were regarded with mistrust, because if their nose was so deficient, what else was?

He recognized the fearful scent that he had picked up the first time he had met Lovino. He’d been over at Ludwig’s, on an occasion that Ludwig was going to introduce him to his mate, which Gilbert hadn’t known about since Ludwig was on the roof grilling and Gilbert had arrived early. He’d opened the door on Lovino in the bathroom, and the Omega had freaked out, having no idea who he was.

He frowned to himself, remembering that. People like Lovino, and what they went through, were part of the reason he did what he did, even if Lovino himself was kind of obnoxious.

“I found something.”

“I did as well,” Sakura said, and it was no surprise they were in sync. Her soft eyes shifted to Gilbert, saying, “Tell me first.”

“Well, you’re right, he is scared shitless.” Gilbert took another breath through his nose. “God, don’t know where he went, though.”

Sakura slowly walked away from the police station, saying, “He went here. He’s also on his sleeping medication.” She didn’t add that it made it all the more likely he was in danger. There was still a vague hope he’d found a shelter or gone to the hospital or somesuch, but Gilbert was quickly dismissing it.

He and Elisaveta followed Sakura. She stopped in front of a small shop, brow crinkling. “This is where it ends. He must have gotten in a car.”

Elisaveta cursed. “Why would he do that? He doesn’t have anyone to pick him up!”

“I don’t know,” Sakura said, though she suggested, “Perhaps he did have someone to pick him up, someone we don’t know so well. Maybe his brother?”

“The day Feliciano picks up his phone is the day that pigs fly,” Gilbert said flatly.

“I’m picking up on a recent scent. Someone else was here. Not Feliciano... someone else. I don’t recognize the scent.” Sakura looked to Gilbert; her gaze suggested that it could be a coincidence, but at the same time, there was worry in her features.

“Shit.” Elisaveta glared at the ground. “I hate to say this, but we might have to file a missing persons report.”

“Oh, come on. The police aren’t going to help. They don’t give a shit about Omegas they’re not fucking.” 

“It may be our only option,” Sakura said gently. She was not as adamant about not trusting the police as Gilbert was, possibly because she still seemed to harbor hope that there were good ones.

Gilbert groaned. The last time he had been in that police station, he’d exited missing a front tooth. He ran his tongue over the replacement, glaring in the direction of the station. “You and Elisaveta can go. They’re not going to trust me in there, and like hell we need me locked up too.”

Elisaveta said, though there was obvious hate in her eyes, “We can find out what Ludwig’s bail is. Maybe he’ll know where Lovino would go.”

Gilbert nodded, and handed Elisaveta his checkbook. “Whatever it is, pay it. You know Grandfather Anshelm left me everything.”

Elisaveta nodded, and she took Sakura’s hand. They went inside, and Gilbert was left outside with his thoughts.

Good god, he hoped that angry little Omega was okay. Ludwig was the type to never forgive himself, even if it wasn’t his fault. And, okay, he liked the guy. Lovino could, when he chose, be good company. And he was kind of adorable, to be honest, at least with Ludwig. Gilbert had never met someone quite so tactile, the way he would seek out Ludwig’s space, and Ludwig would quietly let him stay there, occasionally even encouraging it with little gestures of affection.

Gilbert’s teeth clenched. They would find him. He did not deserve to be another statistic.

He only hoped they found him fast.


	4. Chapter 4

The house looked exactly as it had when Lovino left, the front porch converted into a small greenhouse with tomato plants and other fresh vegetables growing inside. The mailbox still looked like a little hacienda, and the house was a cheery yellow, though it was a bit hard to see in the dark.

It made Lovino recoil, pushing himself to the far end of the back seat as Antonio opened the door.

Antonio clicked his tongue again, saying, “Lovi, it’s okay. I’m not mad, I swear.”

“Take me home,” Lovino pleaded.

Antonio laughed a little. “Lovino, you are home. Now, if you want your cell phone back, you’ve got to get out of the car. Besides, do you really want to spend the night out here? The house is much warmer.”

Lovino couldn’t cry any more, a dull horror gnawing at his stomach instead. He shuddered, saying weakly, “No, this isn’t my home, Ludwig is my mate—“

Antonio harrumphed, and bodily lifted Lovino out bridal style. Lovino didn’t fight it, asking, “If I go in the house, do I get my cell phone back?”

“Mm, maybe in a little while. But first, you look so hungry and cold! I told you no one would take care of you like I do. That nasty Ludwig’s been starving you, I can tell.”

Antonio carried him towards the door, and all the while, thoughts were racing through Lovino’s mind. He could wriggle free, maybe, and get in the car. It was a push-button, and maybe he could muddle his way through driving it.

Or he could hide in the back, in the woods. Sure, he didn’t know much about survival, but it had to be better than being in the house.

He thought too long. The door slammed shut behind them as Antonio closed it with his foot. The smell of spicy food and too many flowers hit Lovino in the face, and it was all he could do to keep from balking.

Before he could start to fight being held, Antonio was already putting him down on the couch. “I’m so glad you’re home. I’ve been worried sick, Lovino, but I knew you’d come back.”

“No shit, you brought me here, asshole!” Lovino shouted, but he quickly cringed back as Antonio’s hand reached towards him.

All he did was smooth his hair back from his face. There was a half-smile on his lips, and he said cheerily, “Did you want any cheese in your tomato soup? I think I have mozzarella. I know how you like that; pretty lucky that I picked it up, huh?”

Lovino was tired and scared. He didn’t know how he was going to get out of here. He just wanted to be with Ludwig, who would soothe away his night terrors with a tight hold, who would appreciatively eat his cooking and do that lovely thing where he stroked his hair when they were sitting together doing whatever, usually watching TV or something.

So, he curled up again, not saying anything.

Antonio clucked, saying, “Lovino, don't get sullen. It really doesn't suit you so well; I miss your smiles.”

“I don't wanna smile,” Lovino mumbled, face buried into his knees.

Antonio ignored that, saying cheerily, “It'll only take a couple minutes to heat up some soup. It's some I made myself; had to cook for myself since you've been gone. Not that I mind, of course, but it really was a bit of surprise. Would have been nicer to have some warning that you were going to be gone for a while.”

Lovino hadn't been going to be gone for a while. He had been going to be gone forever. But this was clearly a fact that Antonio had not accepted. “Can I have my fucking cell phone?”

“Not yet, not yet. Maybe later,” Antonio said.

“You said I could have it if I got out of the car.”

“Mm, no, I don't think I did. You're tired, Lovi. Just relax.” Antonio kissed the top of his head, and headed for the kitchen.

He did say that. He did. Lovino repeated it to himself, though doubt was already niggling at his brain. As Antonio got into the kitchen, which had a wall separating them, Lovino could hear the cheery Alpha talking.

“Really, tomorrow we'll have to have some of your pizza. If you're not up to cooking, that's okay, because I've got a bunch of fresh salsa I made; I've been growing a lot of ingredients in the greenhouse, and I will tell you, this salsa is to die for.”

Lovino looked at the door. No inside lock to keep him in. He eased up onto his feet, heart pattering in his chest. Antonio couldn't see him. Antonio wouldn't really expect an answer. And if he could just get past the door, maybe he could hitch a ride or find an old payphone.

“I would've made up the bed special for you, but, you know, you sounded so upset. I didn't want you to be scared and all alone, especially dressed in just your boxers. Ludwig must be pretty horrible at taking care of you, to leave you like that.”

Lovino didn't say anything, creeping towards the door. If the floor creaked too loudly, Antonio would know, and then there would be no shot.

“I mean, it's like putting a sign on you that says 'Free sex!' and then throwing you at the mob. Thank god no one put a hand on you.”

He didn't mention that someone had. He didn't need to; it wasn't Antonio’s business what happened to him. He had his hand on the knob, slowly turning, soundlessly, thanking god that Antonio had bothered to fix the sound it used to make.

“Lovino? Where are you going?”

Lovino choked, quickly turning around to see Antonio standing there with a wooden spoon in his hand. “J-Just, needed some fucking fresh air, it smells like cheap air freshener in here!”

Antonio didn't look the least bit fooled, but came forward and took Lovino's hands gently. “Lovi. The neighbors know about your... mistake. They were all very worried about you. If they see you out there like that, they're going to worry more. Come on, into the kitchen; you can sit at the counter and eat.”

“I'm not hungry,” Lovino protested, and for once, he dug his feet into the carpet, jerking Antonio's progress towards the kitchen to a stop. “I'm not your mate, not anymore, Ludwig's my mate, you have to--!”

“Lovi.” He said it sternly, like correcting a child. “Ludwig is gone. He doesn't want you. He never wanted you.”

“He wanted me! He still wants me, he's just in jail--”

“If he cared about you, he wouldn't get in jail. I never did, did I? I never did anything to harm you, ever. I never put you in danger.” Antonio's hand, calloused with work, rested on Lovino's cheek. “Now, let me take you to eat.”

“I don't want to eat!” Still, Lovino managed to keep Antonio from dragging him.

Antonio's cheek did that twitch it did when he was starting to get frustrated. He said, “You are being very stubborn right now. You need to calm down, and just let me take care of you. I'm your mate, and you need to respect what I want.”

That made Lovino burst into tears again, tearing his hands away and running for the door.

Antonio had him in an instant, thrown over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Lovino screamed, but Antonio just let out a bark of laughter. “Scream all you want. The neighbors know it's just your hysteria.”

Lovino was slammed into the chair in the kitchen, hip hitting the side of the chair painfully. He gasped, and would have tried to run again, but then there was Antonio, at his side and breathing on him. 

“Here is your soup,” he said pleasantly, as though he hadn't just bodily moved Lovino across the room. “I got you your favorite spoon, the one with the smooth handle. Eat up!”

Lovino didn't say anything, just started eating the soup. It probably was good, but he couldn't taste it. All he could taste was despair and fear in his mouth, hand trembling a little at the unbreaking gaze that Antonio was giving him.

The storm was already gone, clouds cleared from Antonio's face as though he had never gotten angry. He smiled sweetly at Lovino, saying, “You probably missed this, huh? I know I didn't cook as much as you did, but you love my tomato soup.”

“Yes,” Lovino mumbled, body still trembling from being manhandled. He didn't deal well with that; that was why Ludwig was careful never to trap him when he was being affectionate, always loosening his grip at the first sign of discomfort. Tears started dripping down Lovino's face and into the soup.

Antonio acted like he didn't notice. “I'm so happy you've come back. It's kind of quiet here without you. You could never be replaced in my life.”

Lovino didn't respond.

Antonio kissed him on top of the head, murmuring, “I'll get you a toothbrush and nightshirt. Be right back, love.”

Lovino wanted to throw the soup across the room. He wanted, most of all, to go out that door and find someone to help him.

But he knew from unfortunate experience that there was no such person. Only Ludwig, who did not know where he was. He wept for what felt like the thousandth time that night, into the soup.

There was no way out.


	5. Chapter 5

Elisaveta hated this place. She hated all to do with the government, at this point, though especially the Family Services. But she choked it down and gripped Sakura's hand as they walked into the place.

It smelled like faint blood, cleaning supplies, and metal. Too much metal. She could pick up other scents, even less savory, but she pointedly ignored them. Instead, she walked up the desk, which was divided from the public by glass. “Hey. Excuse me.”

A tall Alpha looked back, a thin smile on his face; he had a large nose, and eyes that said this smile was not sincere, and if anything, amusement that someone would bother him in the middle of the night. “Yes? Is there something you needed?”

Elisaveta's breath caught in her throat as she heard the familiar voice. Her teeth clenched, and good god, she wished there wasn't a barrier between them, because her every instinct said to break his face. Possibly rip off other parts as well.

Sakura was quick to say something, picking up on Elisaveta's anger as she tightly held onto Elisaveta's hand, as though she could hold her back. “We're here to see about two things; we would like to know about Ludwig Beischmidt's bail, and if you have seen an Omega named Lovino Vargas.”

The Alpha officer was still smiling. Elisaveta wanted to kill him. “Ah, I'm afraid we don't do bail until a full day has passed in the case of violent crimes.” He shuffled through a few papers, and said, in a tone that suggested this was a silly mistake on their part, “And you mean Lovino Fernandez Carriedo, don't you? He was just here an hour or so ago, for questioning.”

Elisaveta ground out, “That can't be right. His last name's Vargas, like his brothers.”

“Is this him?” the officer said simply, sliding out a photograph. It was possibly five years old, and Lovino looked thinner, somehow more sullen, but there was no doubting it was him.

Elisaveta fought to keep the anger from taking control, and looked over at Sakura. Unlike her, Sakura's face was placid, though slightly confused.

“Could you explain why we know him by a different name?” Sakura asked quietly, eying the photograph, “And why he is on file?”

There was no such thing as confidentiality in the police department, should an officer choose to spill all. The only time any had ever gotten in trouble was when they ruined an ongoing case.

The officer smiled. “Ah, he is a runaway. I myself have been involved in that case; it was when I was still a rookie on the force.” He shook his head, letting out a short laugh. “Crazed by hysteria. Wouldn't stop screaming and weeping in the back of my squad car. I've never seen a case quite so bad.”

Elisaveta's blood chilled. “Who was he a runaway from?”

“Mm. I do believe that is private information.” 

She wanted to kill him again, more than ever. “Officer Braginsky, he is missing. If you don't give me information right now--”

“What we mean,” Sakura said, shooting an apologetic look at Elisaveta for cutting her off, “Is that we would really appreciate your help. We are friends of Lovino, and we are very worried at his disappearance. Anything you could do to help us find him would always be remembered.”

Not enough to outweigh what he'd already done, in Elisaveta's mind, but she kept her teeth clenched tightly, keeping the barrage of threats from coming out.

Officer Braginsky, also known as Ivan, said, “And what incentive do I have?”

Sakura was quick to take the checkbook from Elisaveta; Elisaveta could have kept her from taking it, but in the split second it took to reason it out, she knew Gilbert would rather be down a couple hundred dollars than risk Lovino being in danger.

“Will this help?” Sakura said, sliding the check under the opening. Ivan took it, eyed, and smiled brightly.

“Of course, of course.” He got out a file, flipping through the papers easily. “Lovino Fernandez Carriedo is legally married.” He chuckled, adding, “So few bother anymore, but apparently his Alpha bothered. About six years ago--”

“That can't be right,” Elisaveta said stubbornly, “Lovino's not married. He's barely twenty.”

“I don't know anything about that.” Ivan continued on through the file. “Two runaway attempts, at fourteen and then fifteen. Missing persons report about two years ago; hm, someone should have called his husband when he was brought in.” Ivan chuckled, saying, “I don't really think they were very thorough this time.”

Elisaveta could have cracked the barrier. But at the same time, she wondered what this revelation would do to Ludwig. There was no way he knew Lovino was already married; he was too proper for that, and the rules were too important to him to break that way. He would be devastated when he found out. And here this asshole was, laughing about it.

“Can we have his husband's phone number?” Sakura asked, ever the one to keep a level head.

“Ah, that is no problem.” Ivan started writing it out on a piece of paper. Another officer, with long hair, leaned over him to get a file.

“Officer Wang,” he said, a teasing tone coming on and seeming completely distracted from giving them the phone number, “Tell me, is your bed empty tonight?”

A sharp response came back. “I am not an Omega and you cannot bed me, Ivan. Please stop acting like you can.”

Ivan just laughed. “I cannot help it. You are so pretty.”

An inarticulate growl came back, along with the sound of him being thwacked by a file.

Elisaveta waited impatiently, wanting to shove her hands under the divider and snatch away the phone number. “Officer?”

“Ah, yes, yes, here it is.” Ivan smiled like he had a secret, but Elisaveta very much doubted he would share it with them. He slid the paper under the divider, and Elisaveta snatched it away before he could take it back.

“Thank you,” Sakura said sweetly. “I was also wondering if we could visit with Ludwig.”

Ivan snorted. “I am very sorry, but he is going through processing still. We have a lot of people here tonight, and he has been pushed back for a while.”

Elisaveta didn't know if it was true or not, but she said, perhaps a little more viciously than she wanted to, “Thanks, Officer Braginsky.”

“No problem,” he said with a smile, and Elisaveta knew he probably didn't even remember what he'd done, that he did it so often she and her own were not even a footnote. It still made her gut churn.

She walked away stiffly with Sakura. Sakura had both hands on her arm, instructing, “Breathe, please breathe, Elisaveta.”

Elisaveta took in a deep breath. She still wanted to kill Braginsky. She still wanted to kill any and all who had caused her and Sophie pain. But she knew now was not the time.

Gilbert met them at the door, saying, “So? What'd Ludwig say? Where is he?”

“Violent crimes don't get bail for a day at least,” Sakura reported. She still had her gentle hands on Elisaveta, helping her calm down.

Gilbert took in Elisaveta's appearance, saying, “Whoa. Elisaveta, who'd you see in there?”

Elisaveta said, in as calm a voice as possible, “People whose entrails I would prefer would be on the outside of their body.”

Gilbert didn't comment. He had some knowledge of what had happened, but he seemed to know that it was a very delicate topic, and something Sophie was very sensitive about. 

For that reason, Elisaveta didn't spread it around. She loved Sophie too much to put her through that. “We discovered something.”

“Yeah? Do you know where Lovino is?”

“We don't know, but we do know he's married.” Sakura was the one to say it, always able to easily communicate with her mate.

“What the fuck? Why didn't Ludwig invite us--”

“Not to Ludwig. To a Mr. Carriedo Fernandez.” Elisaveta held up the slip of paper. “Familiar name?”

Gilbert stared. “Uh, yeah, actually. I knew a Carriedo Fernandez in high school—his whole family was kinda upper crust, at least at one point. They really only have the pride left, though. God, you don't think it's him, do you?”

“Worth finding out,” Sakura said, “It seems there may be a good deal we don't know about Lovino.”

Elisaveta thought back on what Ludwig had told them. Lovino was traumatized from an assault with nonspecific details, only that it had made him fearful. Ludwig had not told them much, but had that been from a lack of knowledge on his part, or because he knew and didn't want to tell them? Again, she really didn't think he'd mate with a married Omega.

“I'll call him,” Gilbert said with a sigh. “We kinda keep in touch, a little. He keeps in touch with everyone from high school.”

As the phone rang, Elisaveta thought on what she knew about the archaic ceremony and legal bindings of marriage. It was really more of a Beta thing, since they didn't make a bond the way Omegas and Alphas did; a mated pair of an Alpha and an Omega didn't need to worry about any rights they would miss out on. 

However, marriage was binding; mating could, possibly, be undone, though it rarely was after the first mate. The bond made was incredibly strong, and few even wanted to break it.

“Yeah, hey? Hi, Antonio. Yeah, it's Gilbert.”

The traffic made it impossible to hear Antonio's end. Elisaveta just listened to what Gilbert said.

“Yeah, yeah, okay, I'm glad for your tomatoes. Hey, I have a weird question...”

She watched for Gilbert's reaction.

“Have you seen Lovino Vargas around? Elisaveta and I found out you guys were-- oh, are married? Yeah, well, have you seen him?”

He had a troubled look on his face, as he glanced over at Elisaveta. “Oh. Oh, okay. Well, I guess I'm glad you're okay with it; sorry about calling you in the middle of the night. Goodbye.”

He hung up. “Antonio says he and Lovino agreed to separate about two years ago, and that they never got around to the paperwork.”

Sakura's brow was creased. “Are you sure he's trustworthy?”

Gilbert bit his lip. “Hm. Well, he's really not the lying type; I've never seen him without a smile on his face. And he really did sound okay with it; he said it was their parents who set them up, and that he was just happy Lovino was happy.”

Elisaveta said, “Lovino ran away when he was fourteen and fifteen, but Officer Braginsky said it was hysteria. He's always seemed kind of unstable. However, most hysteria diagnoses are bullshit.”

She said it more sharply than intended, and Gilbert looked at her like he was trying to put pieces together. He nodded, saying, “Yeah, I agree. Still, I think we should drop by the places that Feliciano and Vincenzo live. They might be able to put this together for us.”

Her intuition was telling her there was more to this marriage than a mutal agreement to separate. “I think we should get a few more people, and then split up; half to Feliciano and Vincenzo, and the other to Antonio's house. We don't have time to waste.”

“Yeah, okay. I'll call some of my comrades,” Gilbert nodded. Then he laughed a little. “You sure Priss won't throw a fit that you're gone all night?”

He blanched at the expression on Elisaveta's face. “She'll be all right, thank you. Just call your friends.”

He stepped aside to make phone calls.

Elisaveta sent Sophie a text to let her know where she'd be.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Makena = Kenya  
> Fritz = Saxony  
> Hans = Hesse  
> Daina = Nyotalia Lithuania  
> Halina = Nyotalia Poland
> 
> (Kenya will show up more in future chapters)

Sakura could tell Gilbert was on edge. She didn't blame him; his brother was in jail, and his brother's mate disappeared under questionable circumstances. He was doing his best to hide it, trading banter with Elisaveta, but there was no doubt he was both unnerved and angry about the situation.

Hans and Fritz, two of his brothers, were able to be reached. So were Daina and her mate, Halina. Eduard and Raivis were also able to be reached, who were step and half siblings of Daina. So, for now, it was just a matter of waiting.

She put a hand on Gilbert, trying to calm his tense posture. “It will be all right. Fretting won't change anything.”

He smiled a little, saying, “Psh, Sakura, I can tell you're worrying. Don't tell me not to worry.”

She blushed a little. One thing she both loved and sometimes found annoying about Gilbert was that he knew her so well, even when she was trying to be composed and collected. “Yes. Well, I suppose one of us should keep a cool head.”

He had that fond look on his face, but he was quick to replace it with worry. “God, Hans and Fritz had better understand how serious this is. Hans can be a bit...”

“I know,” Sakura said, thinking back on how Hans had always been just a bit too smiley (and sometimes drunk) for his brothers. He was hardly a really cheery person compared to the rest of the population, but in that limited pool he drove his family crazy. “I think there should be no problem.”

“I'm more concerned about Daina. You know how much she hates you, and kinda me,” Elisaveta said with a sigh. “Like she'd let Halina go anywhere right now without her, though.”

“Yeah, well, Daina can suck ass,” Gilbert said, rolling his eyes. “I don't really care about her pettiness.”

“You made Halina cry,” Elisaveta pointed out.

“And you hit on her. What's your point?” Gilbert said, shrugging. “It's pretty petty stuff.”

Sakura raised an eyebrow. “When did you make Halina cry?”

Gilbert seemed to flush a little then, stuttering, “Uh, uh... It was before I met you. I kinda... said she looked like a boy and had an ass like a twelve year old. And no, uh, boobs, you know?”

Elisaveta snorted, and Sakura knew what she was thinking.

That body type described Sakura well, even if it was a bit insulting. She just nodded, however, not willing to point that out. “Ah. I see.”

“Not that there's anything wrong with not having boobs--”

“God, Gilbert, you have to go and make everything awkward, don't you?” Elisaveta snickered.

Gilbert flushed more, snapping, “Come on, Elisaveta! You're making it worse!”

Sakura was a bit embarrassed, to be honest. Her face was a bit red, she could tell from the way it felt. “I suggest we talk about something else.” Gilbert knew she could be just a little insecure about her lack of... assets. Still, he also knew she didn't exactly like her body to be talked about in public.

Gilbert cleared his throat, saying, “So, Elisaveta, how's Klaus?”

Elisaveta was still smirking a little, but that cleared quickly. “He's doing well. He's really acing his art classes, though the math could use a little work; Sophie's pretty good at that, so she's been spending extra time with him in the evenings.” She laughed a little. “I've been trying to teach him how to play soccer, but he is just not an athlete.”

Sakura smiled. She was honestly eager for the days when she and Gilbert would have small children around, but she knew he wanted to hold off for now. The fear for him was that they would have Omega and Beta children before society was a good place for them, and worse yet, that with his activities, their children would be taken away. He still occasionally made comments about how Elisaveta had made herself an easier target.

Sakura herself wasn't entirely sure what to make of the whole thing. Honestly, she could see the unfairness of the society, but she wasn't entirely sure it could be changed. Still, she admired Gilbert's determination to do it greatly, and assisted him in any way she could.

“Eh, that's okay. Betas rarely do that great in commercialized sports anyway,” Gilbert shrugged.

Elisaveta glared. “It's not about whether or not he can make a career in it, Gilbert, it's about personal growth and being healthy.”

Gilbert grinned. “You're just saying that cause your kid's a wimp.”

Fortunately, before a fight could start, a car came rolling up. They'd been waiting outside the library, Elisaveta and Gilbert having driven their cars over there; it made sense, as it was closest to the people in question and had a lot of parking space where they wouldn't be towed.

Hans came out, and Sakura could make out the scar over his eye even in the dark. He didn't smile this time, joining them in the small group. “Hey.” He nodded towards Sakura, as though she needed her own greeting.

She nodded back, knowing he was trying to show her respect as Gilbert's mate.

“I thought I saw Fritz down the road. He should be here any minute; who else is coming?”

Gilbert turned towards Fritz, saying, “We've got Daina and Halina, Eduard and Raivis--”

“Not that shaky little Omega,” Hans groaned, “He's useless. He's _fifteen_.”

“And you two,” Gilbert finished.

Elisaveta laughed a little. “Come on, Hans. He's got a good nose, if nothing else.”

Hans seemed to grudgingly accept this. “Yeah, okay. But is that all? Isn't there anyone else we can bring in?”

“Who else do you think we need? It's not a full scale invasion, Hans. Just need to search out a few leads. Honestly, I'd rather have a full sweep of the city, but there's no way we know enough people for that,” Gilbert said, shrugging.

At that point, an SUV pulled in, and Fritz came out. He seemed to have energy buzzing off of him, and like Hans, he had long hair. Sakura seemed to recall that Grandfather Anshelm had had long hair and had encouraged it in the grandsons he raised.

Fritz strode over to them. “Hello, Sakura, Elisaveta, and you two ugly Alphas.”

“Oh, ugly, huh? Who's got mates here?” Gilbert smirked, glancing over at Hans with satisfaction.

“Yeah, I haven't seen you kissing as pretty a girl as Makena,” Hans said, matching Gilbert's smirk. “Or even an ugly Omega. I'd be surprised if your hand even likes you.”

“Shut up,” Fritz said, with a roll of his eyes. “I'll have you know I have tons of Omegas and Betas and even sometimes Alphas hitting on me.”

They laughed. It was good-natured ribbing, rather than trying to be hurtful. All three brothers knew it could be difficult to find a mate, and that not finding one was not necessarily a reflection on the Alpha. However, this was a 'fact' (that an unmated/celibate Alpha was defective) the society tried to enforce, something that Sakura knew had been a thing for Gilbert when he was younger.

“Okay. This's gonna be a bit of a surprise...” Gilbert said, apparently deciding to share with his and Ludwig's brothers. Sakura only hoped he was making the right decision. “Ludwig's mate, Lovino, is actually still married to someone else.”

Hans scowled. “I knew there was something about that Omega. You know, he was always so sneaky—I swear he stole--”

“Hans. Lovino did not steal your cereal,” Fritz groaned, pushing his brother. 

“Well then, genius, who took it?” Hans said, “He said he liked it when they visited. Who else could have taken it?”

“It's seriously just cereal, Hans, let it go.”

“It's not just that! He tricked Ludwig—want to bet he's secretly giving his first mate all their goods? Ludwig's always replacing things.” Hans had a suspicious look on his face, not out of place with the serious scar.

Sakura cleared her throat. “We don't know the circumstances under which he left. Also, my understanding regarding the things that Ludwig buys is that Lovino often breaks things by accident.”

“Yeah, you've seen the way his hands shake sometimes,” Gilbert put in, and of course he was on her side. She greatly appreciated that.

Hans grumbled a bit, but then a minivan pulled up.

All of them stared at it, wondering what to make of it. No one they knew drove a minivan.

Of course, Sakura concluded, apparently they did, because Daina, Halina, Eduard, and Raivis piled out. 

Daina had her hair in a long braid, tossed over her shoulder. She was wearing a hoodie and a pair of jeans, very practical along with her tennis shoes. Halina was wearing a t-shirt with an arrow pointing downwards, and the inscription, 'Watermelon Thief.' Leave it to her to have a major sense of humor about being pregnant. 

“Fancy ride,” Gilbert said with a grin.

Daina glared.

Halina burst out, “Yeah, isn't it? It's got like ten cupholders and it's gonna fit all the kids!”

Elisaveta was grinning, and hugged Halina around her large stomach. “That's so great, Halina! Though, aren't you just having one kid?”

“Well, yeah, but like, I'm super fertile, the doctor said so, so like, we're probably gonna have like twenty.” Halina seemed to be in a very good mood for a heavily pregnant Beta. Sakura had heard that Beta women had more difficulty in pregnancy than Omegas, but Halina seemed to disprove this.

Daina put a hand on Halina's shoulder, saying, “Calm down. Try having this baby before you plan for more, okay?”

Halina was grinning anyway. She affectionately pecked her mate's cheek, having to rise on tiptoes to do it. 

“Why exactly are we bringing a pregnant woman?” Hans wanted to know.

“Because she's the one who wanted to come,” Daina said sharply, seeming to suggest that she would pack up and leave if one more word was said about it.

“Okay, okay, so here's the plan—Daina and Halina take Raivis and Elisaveta to first Vincenzo's, then Feliciano's. Meanwhile, Hans, Fritz, Eduard, Sakura and I go to Antonio's--”

“Antonio Fernandez Carriedo? God, that guy's creepy.” Hans's comment seemed unusual. Sakura was quick to say something.

“What do you mean he's creepy?”

“He used to proposition a lot of the Omegas with being his 'second mate.' He bothered Makena all the way through her first two months of her freshman year,” Hans said, shaking his head.

Sakura raised an eyebrow. She had gone to a different high school, so she definitely didn't know all the Beilschmidt brothers' friends and acquaintances from that period. She looked over at Gilbert, prompting him to say,

“Second mate? He can't have been married to Lovino already. There's like, a four year difference between them. I mean, nobody gets married at fourteen anymore, and it's illegal--”

“It's legal if the guardian agrees,” Daina put in, adding, “So Lovino is married to this Antonio Fernandez Carriedo? Maybe I should go with you there.” She had her hand on the black casing of the machete on her waist, which Sakura did not feel too shocked about, but which made Gilbert jump back.

“Holy shit, Daina, we're not going to castrate the guy! It's probably just a misunderstanding or some shit like that!”

Hans laughed, saying, “Well, if this misunderstanding means he's putting some part where he shouldn't, castration may be a good option.”

“A machete may be unnecessary,” Sakura said gently.

“Mm. Fine. I'll take Halina, Raivis, and Elisaveta with me, then,” Daina said. She nodded at Raivis. “You can watch the van.”

“B-by myself?” Raivis said nervously. Eduard patted him on the shoulders. 

“It'll be fine, Raivis. It's not a bad neighborhood, and the windows are tinted. You still have your whistle, right?”

“Right,” Raivis said, holding up the plastic red whistle. Eduard gave him a squeeze, and then joined the other group.

Sakura climbed into the backseat, sitting in between Fritz and Eduard. 

“Good luck!” Gilbert called to the others.

“Yeah, okay!” Halina shouted back, and immediately put on polka in the car. Sakura didn't quite hear Daina's protest, as the Alpha shut the door, but she imagined it went along the usual lines.

Hopefully, Lovino was all right.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maximo = Cuba

“Come on, Lovino, you can’t sit in the kitchen all night.” 

It sounded good-natured, but Lovino knew better. Antonio had been hovering about for the last hour, as he painstakingly slowly ate his tomato soup. He didn’t know what would come after the soup, so he was trying to make it last as long as possible. “Maybe I can,” Lovino said, clenching his spoon in his hand.

Antonio laughed. “Lovi, be serious. It’s high time you got to bed; you know how cranky you are when you don’t get enough sleep.” He reached out and traced along Lovino's hair, ignoring the way Lovino shuddered. “I don't want to have to cheer you up again, though I would be happy to.”

Lovino eased out of the chair, seeing that there simply was no more soup and no more pretense. He swallowed thickly. “I-I'll stay in a guest room, bastard.”

“No, no, Lovi, you're my mate; you're going to sleep with me,” Antonio said, as if he was explaining it to a child. He took Lovino's hand gently, though Lovino knew that could turn into a grip of steel if he went against it.

He'd broken out in a sweat. It felt cold and hot at the same time, and he could feel his eyes start to ache too. “Please... I mean, I'm not really... Fuck it, bastard, I don't want to have sex with you!” He pulled away, but that grip contracted like he'd thought it would, painfully tight.

“Ah, but Lovino,” and Antonio dragged him over to the calendar, pointing out some days that were circled in red marker, “You should be on your heat within hours. I kept track while you were gone.”

That set a bubbling unease in Lovino's stomach. Of course Antonio didn't know that he'd been taking anti-heat pills for the past couple of years, only getting off them recently when... His heart sunk into his feet. He and Ludwig had planned for a child. His heat would be in a day or two, not that far off from his old cycle. Now he truly was afraid. “You're wrong. I'm not going to be on my heat soon, you messed up the count.”

Antonio looked to the calendar, placing his hand on his chin thoughtfully. He flipped up several pages, and shook his head. “Nope, Lovi. You got it wrong.”

Despite it all, Lovino felt angry. “I can't mess up my own heats! You got it fucking wrong--”

“Unless...” Antonio cut him off, and slowly turned to look at him. “You've been taking those _immoral_ pills again. Lovino, tell me the truth now; have you been taking anti-heat pills?”

Lovino froze. He tightly curled his hands together, biting his lip. “...no.”

A bruising grip on his chin turned his face towards Antonio. “Don't lie to me. You know I hate that.”

The tight grip that he couldn't quite pull out of was making Lovino's eyes tear up, but he refused to release them. “No, I fucking--”

He was cut off by the tighter grip of Antonio, which made him whimper in pain. But Antonio obviously didn't care, because he leaned in, breath hot on Lovino's face as he said, “I know what you did. I know! But don't worry; I will make sure you have a heat soon. Perhaps stimulate one?”

Lovino felt panic in his chest. A heat could be made to happen, if there was enough stimulation. He should know: Antonio had managed to coax them out of him even when he was still exhausted from his last one. It was only a miracle (Okay, mostly the sympathetic Omega couple on the other side of the fence) that had saved him from getting pregnant. “No, no no! I-I'm going to have a heat soon, I swear, I fucking swear, I'm not on those pills!” he managed around the hand gripping his face.

Antonio let go of his face, smiling. “Ah, that's good. I was thinking it was high time we had a baby. You know what? I did find your pill bottle after you left. I think you were just confused; we both wanted a baby, didn't we?”

Lovino swallowed, feeling like his throat was constricting. “Yes,” he choked out, unsure what else to answer. “Of course we did.”

“Those nasty deviants corrupted your mind,” Antonio said with a sigh. “I suppose I'll have to be more careful, right? They really are nasty.”

Lovino watched Antonio, a sick stone in his stomach, unsure of what would happen now. “So, uh, I'm really tired. I want to sleep.”

“You can sleep after,” Antonio said, touching his face where he'd just bruised him, only this touch was meant to be loving.

That made Lovino certain of what would happen, and he started to stand. “I... I really don't think I'm ready for a baby.... maybe we could hold off tonight?”

“No,” Antonio said firmly, “It's been too long already. We need to have a baby to cement our relationship.”

 _You mean to trap me here._ Lovino knew that was the truth. The second he was pregnant with Antonio's child, he would have a much greater legal claim to Lovino, and plus, it was much easier to push around a pregnant person than a normal person. “I'm not going to,” Lovino insisted, standing firmly in the middle of the kitchen. If he didn't convince Antonio otherwise right now, he might never get the chance to go back to Ludwig.

“You are, and you will enjoy it. You're my mate, and it's your duty to keep me satisfied sexually and bear me children.” Antonio grabbed his arm. “Come on. Now.”

Lovino let out a scream, and wrenched free, running for the door. He'd got it open, screaming profanities, before Antonio caught up with him and started dragging him back in through the open door. It was a bigger struggle than earlier, more fight in Lovino. “No! No, no, no! Stop it, you fucking dickhead!”

“Get in here!” Antonio shouted back, dragging him in. He threw him onto the couch, and before he could right himself, he slapped him across the face. “Lovino, you are being very bad! Very, very bad! You need to listen to me—“

Lovino just sobbed, holding his aching face. “Please, please, I don’t want to!” he almost screamed. That earned him another slap across the face.

“You do what I say! I am the Alpha!” Antonio shouted back.

Somehow, they heard the doorbell over the din. Antonio stopped immediately, face composed. “Hm. I’ll see who that is.”

He left Lovino sobbing on the couch.

As he opened the door, Lovino heard familiar voices.

“Hi, sorry to bother you—“

“Fuck that. Is that Lovino? What the fuck are you doing to him?”

Antonio smiled at their next door neighbors, Matthew Williams and Maximo Machado. “Ah, it’s you two again. What are you doing, butting into my business?”

“If he’s hurt—“ Maximo’s deep voice came through the doorway, but he was cut off.

“If you think deviants like you can have any say what I do to my mate, then you’re mistaken,” Antonio said, voice icy and yet still with fiery anger.

“He has rights. You can’t treat him this way—“ Matthew said, but he was also cut off by Antonio.

“Fuck you Omegas,” Antonio said, voice a snarl. “You’ve messed too much with me and mine. Well, how would you like it if I called the police and told them no one was responsible for you? That your Alpha parents are actually not looking after you?”

They were quiet. Maximo growled, “Fuck you. Someday you’ll regret what you’re doing.”

“That day will never come,” Antonio said stiffly, and he slammed the door. He shook his head as he walked back towards Lovino. “Now, my love... back to more important things.”

Lovino punched him in the chest. It was a poor impulse, and he was rewarded with a punch to the jaw. It felt like his jaw had been broken, but he’d always had a low pain tolerance. Lovino scream-cried, as he was thrown over Antonio’s shoulder.

His brain felt like it was on fire; his limbs flailed uselessly.

Before he even knew it, things went black.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Laurens = Picardy  
> Lukas = Norway  
> Sandy = Wy  
> Emil = Iceland  
> Mattias = Denmark

Ludwig could not sleep in his cell. He had turned, over and over again, on the short bed. He didn't fear his cellmates, a plain brunet and a child who greatly resembled Arthur. Both were Alphas, but neither were in a condition to bother him.

The brunet man had bandages wrapped around his head, and his hands clutched in front of him like he was driving a car. He kept talking to himself, a language that Ludwig did not speak.

The kid, however, was bouncing with energy. His feet kept tapping, he kept crossing and uncrossing his arms, and occasionally he'd make a loud noise at the other man and make him startle, though it never seemed to truly scare him out of his state.

The fifth time, Ludwig felt he had to say something. “Young man, that's not a way to treat an older Alpha. Stop immediately or face the consequences.”

The kid giggled. “Yeah, okay. It is funny, though. He thinks he's still driving the car.”

Ludwig's brows furrowed as he frowned over at the child. “What happened?”

“Oh, he mowed down some people or something cause of the wet roads and then hit a pole. He didn't have airbags, though, so his head's kinda messed up. Laurens, boo!”

The man, Laurens, jerked back, gasping. 

Ludwig glared. “That's not funny. He's traumatized, and that's not something that should be used for your amusement. Continue, and I will spank you.”

“I'm Peter, by the way. You're Ludwig, right? That's what my dad said your name was.” Peter sat on the cot in the end farthest from the opening. He was leaning against the wall, a sort of 'I know everything' look on his face. “You're in trouble for beating the shit out of Francis.”

“Children your age should not say shit,” Ludwig said sternly. “What is Arthur Kirkland's son doing in a cell with me?” It didn't seem wise. If Arthur cared about his kid at all, wouldn't he rather not put him in the cell with someone who might hurt him? Who was an enemy of his, in some way?

Peter snorted, saying, “Oh, he's trying to teach me a lesson about the hard-bitten criminal scum I'll end up as if I keep doing shit.”

Ludwig didn't comment on the cursing, though he did roll his eyes. “What's the worst a twelve year old could get up to?”

He must have guessed the age right, because Peter didn't correct him. Instead, he laughed. “I tattooed somebody.”

Ludwig suddenly wondered if he was ready for a child. Yes, his and Lovino's kid would probably be better behaved than this rapscallion, but what if he or she wasn't? What if they did something like tattooing somebody, or worse?

“You want to know what?” Peter said, a grin on his face. “I tattooed this kid. Her name's Sandy, and I was supposed to put a heart on her butt, but I drew a dick instead.” He giggled uncontrollably.

“How did you even get tattooing supplies?” Ludwig wanted to know, disturbed. He felt instantly sorry for the twelve year old girl that this Peter had marked in this way.

“Broke into my dad's shop—my Omega dad's. He's a tattoo artist, he's really good.” Peter was still grinning.

Ludwig didn't want to ask any more questions, so he turned away from Peter. He was almost surprised that Kirkland had ever felt enough feelings for someone to procreate, but then, even unfeeling rocks like Arthur could probably find mates.

“My Omega dad's name is Lukas! He has a little brother who's an Omega too, but we never see him; his old mate keeps him. But yeah, he draws really ether—ethee—eth.... Fairies and mountains and pretty stuff. Not like, skulls with their tongues sticking out. He says that's not classy.” Pete giggled.

“And what will he think when he finds out you've drawn genitalia on someone?” Ludwig said, almost reluctantly. He didn't want to be in conversation with Peter.

Peter was quiet a moment. “I...I guess he might get upset...But that's okay, cause he never hits me!” There was an undertone that suggested Peter was not eager to bear his dad's disapproval. Lukas seemed to command more respect than Arthur.

In some ways, it was easier to deal with Peter's juvenile exploits than the thought that Lovino had come so near harm. It made him clench his fists to think of it. But Lovino was safe; he was with Elisaveta or Gilbert. 

Both were relatives, so they would have a legal standing if something happened to him. Elisaveta had married his cousin, Sophie, and Gilbert was his brother. He trusted both deeply. It still bothered him that Lovino had no protections himself, no ability to lay claim to things that should belong to them both. It was considered lewd for an Omega to use a taxi, because most taxi drivers were Betas, who could have sex with them. There was only the bus for Omegas, and that didn't run during the night.

He clenched his teeth. He felt like Lovino ought to be able to drive, go anywhere he wanted, never have to fear again. That that bastardess had been able to attack Lovino, had been about to do the unspeakable to him, kept rising and boiling in his gut.

“...but that's why we never see Emil.”

“Hm?” Ludwig turned to look at Peter. He realized he had missed much of what the young Alpha had said.

Peter looked shocked that he hadn't been listened to. “Emil is my dad's Omega brother. Cause he was married to Mattias first, Mattias got custody. Which is okay, cause I don't want to share my room anyway.”

Ludwig sighed. “Look, I'm not going to listen to you all night, so you might as well stop.”

Peter narrowed his eyes, and shouted at Laurens, “Laurens! Bang!”

The man startled again, hands shaking.

Ludwig groaned. “I will spank you. Don't think I won't.”

Peter glared back. “Then listen to me!”

Did that child even hear what he said? He truly was Kirkland's son. Ludwig glared back, saying sternly, “Don't make me spank you.”

Peter stuck out his tongue.

Without even batting an eye, Ludwig crossed the cell in two steps and had Peter over his knee before he could blink. Peter let out a yelp, but he really started shouting in earnest once Ludwig began to spank him.

“Hey! Hey! Ow! Stop it, ow! Ow! You piece of—Ow!”

Ten swats seemed appropriate. But just as he was finishing up, he could see a blond figure racing down the halls. Hands stuck out of the cells as he did, trying to grab him—surely an Omega.

“Stop right now,” he said flatly, as he arrived in front of their cell. He had a fanciful tattoo up his bare arm, some sort of greenish mythical creature and fog with a mountain in the background.

“Papa!” Peter sobbed, wriggling free of Ludwig's grip and running to the cell door.

It had to be Lukas.

Lukas gave his son a stern look, though he did reach through the bars and grab onto his shoulders. “That was a very bad thing you did. I could have lost my license, and we have to pay to have the tattoo removed.”

“I know, I'm sorry,” Peter sobbed, pressing his face against the bars.

“Still, I'm going to have to talk to your father if he thinks this is the correct way to teach you a lesson,” Lukas said, and there was an undercurrent of rage in his voice.

Arthur caught up to him right about then, the single key that unlocked all the cells evident in his hand. “Lukas! I've told you, you can't come in here without me, what if some low-life--”

“You put our son in a jail cell with full-grown Alphas,” Lukas said, and though his face didn't look angry, it was clear he was furious.

Arthur unlocked the door, and Peter ran into Lukas's arms. 

Harrumphing, Arthur said, “We need to stop this spiral, or else--”

“Yes, he will clearly be a horrible criminal, Arthur. Clearly. He may serially dick tattoo many people.” Lukas was holding Peter close, tightly. He grabbed his son's hand, and started walking out. “We can talk about this when you get home.”

Arthur did not look happy with this prospect. He turned and saw Ludwig, and glared. “Oh, shut the fuck up. I'm sure you've never had mate issues.”

“We don't have a brat for a child,” Ludwig said evenly. He wasn't going to give in to Arthur, that was for sure.

Arthur snarled back, “You'll regret that. I'll see that you do.” He slammed the cell door, which made Laurens jump again.

“I didn't mean to!” he choked out, eyes wide.

Ludwig sighed, and curled back up on the cot. There wasn't much else to do, after all.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aleksander = Bulgaria  
> Vladimir = Romania  
> Vasile = Moldova  
> Vincenzo = Seborga  
> Giovanni = San Marino

Some people might think Halina was far too jubilant to be 8 months pregnant. Daina was not one of those people; she would probably say, 'If you think this is excited, you should've seen her before I knocked her up.'

Well, she wouldn't say that. It wasn't all that respectful to Halina. But as the diminutive blonde tried to sneak 'Top 25 Polka Songs' back into the CD player, she did have to acknowledge that her partner could be a bit of child sometimes.

“Halina, please. I'm trying to drive.”

“Just let me put it on, then. The baby likes it,” Halina said, and Daina just knew she was pouting. Well, those cute green eyes would not work on her, not this time.

Raivis groaned, but gasped after he did it. “Nothing, nothing, I don't hate polka!”

Daina glanced in the rearview mirror at her half-brother. “If we all tell her no one wants it, she just might leave it be.”

Elisaveta laughed. 

Halina said, “Good god, what is wrong with a little polka? You'd think I was trying to put on chants to our lord Satan.”

“'Our lord Satan?'” Elisaveta said with a laugh. “Halina, you are the most religious person I know. The fact that you don't know any of the actual pagan gods pretty much proves that.”

There were a number of pagan gods still worshiped in their society, alternately sneered at and embraced by public figures. Pagans were still in the minority, though nonreligion was a huge chunk of the population.

Daina sighed, turning a corner. They were going to Vincenzo's first, the younger brother of both Feliciano and Lovino. He was young, about sixteen or so, and an Omega. Hence, he had a guardian. 

Guardians were important in their society. They expected to provide and look out for the Omegas in their care, whether they were their children, siblings, or even parents. 

Ludwig hated that. Gilbert, Hans, Fritz, and their brothers actively worked against it. Elisaveta was an outspoken advocate of self-determination and voting rights for Omegas.

If there was anyone Daina would oppose the common laws and authority figures for, it was Halina. And she was not an Omega, so Daina did not feel quite as strongly committed to the cause. But Halina was committed, and that was enough.

“No, Halina, no polka.”

They pulled up to the house. It was a decent size, made for a large family. It even had a small stained glass window above the door, the shape of a heart on it. This had once been the thriving home of the Vargas's. Now, it belonged to a cousin through marriage: Aleksander Balakov.

“Okay, Raivis, you stay with the car,” Daina said, putting it in park.

“D-Do I have to?” he wanted to know, and she could see his tight grip around his red whistle.

Daina gave a sigh. “No, you can come with us,” she said, unable to deny her half-brother this thing. No, they weren't the closest, but she felt bad for him. An anxiety disorder stemmed from rough treatment by the police when out past curfew at the mere age of ten, though she suspected he'd always been very nervous and kind of delicate.

“Are you going to make Halina stay, since she's pregnant and you don't want her to get kicked or something?” Raivis said, a master at saying the wrong thing.

“No way! I'm going in that house!” Halina chirped, though with a strangely forceful tone. She waddled out of the van and towards the house.

Daina sighed. “Thanks, Raivis.”

He tried to scramble to get an apology, but he could not come up with one in time.

Elisaveta had grabbed Halina's arm, helping her up the stone steps. They were old, but very solid pieces of stone. They were kind of in a suburban area, though it was a lot more individualistic and old than a lot of the suburban neighborhoods.

A small curl of fire seemed to come alive in Daina at that sight, but she reminded herself that Halina could be trusted and that, pregnant as she was, she would not put up with being hit on by anyone other than Daina (and sometimes not even Daina).

They made it up the steps, and Daina knocked on the door.

A short person answered it. “Hi,” Vasile Bochinsky said brightly; Daina knew him enough to know that he was the younger brother of the spouse of the owner of the house. Apparently, he'd never been taught not to open the door to strangers. He had two of his fingers in his mouth, his crooked teeth apparent.

“Hi Vasile!” Halina said in that cooing tone she reserved for children. She was already trying to bend down to his level, and failing. She still patted him on the head anyway, saying, “Can you be a big boy and go get an adult for us?”

“I'm five,” he said, puffing out his chest. “I don't even wear pullups at all.”

“That's amazing! Wow!” Halina said, grinning. She had a way of making it not sound totally condescending. Daina hoped she'd be able to copy the skill. “Since you're so grown up, could you get us your brother or his husband?”

“Yeah! Come in the house!” Vasile swung open the door for them, and Daina thought to herself that she would teach her children that, even if they recognized the person at the door, they could not let them in. Still, she stepped over the threshold, following Halina and trailed by Raivis and Elisaveta.

Aleksander and Vladimir, Vasile's older brother, had done a nice job of keeping the place homey. It had little statues on the mantle over the fireplace, a nice bookshelf full of books, both children's and adult, and nicely kept carpet. The big plastic house in the middle of the floor kind of wrecked the decorations' effect, but Daina supposed that was probably what Halina and her house would look like with the child growing up.

“Tata! Tata! People're here!” Vasile shouted, running into the kitchen.

At that, Aleksander appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, holding a drying rag and a dish in hand. He seemed to relax a little when he saw who it was. “Oh, thank god, you would not believe the people he invites inside...” He turned towards Vasile. “Vasile, you are not to answer the door, you know that.”

Vasile clung to Aleksander's pant leg, smallish for his age and clearly not taking the rebuke seriously. “Can I have sweets? Pleeeease?”

Daina cleared her throat. “We're here to see Vincenzo.”

Aleksander put the dish and dishrag down, coming to face them (with Vasile still hanging on his pant leg). “If you have anything to say to him, you can say it to me.”

Elisaveta stepped forward then, saying, “Really, we just want to know if he's seen Lovino. He's missing, and we don't know where he could have gone besides here, or Feliciano's.”

No one mentioned Giovanni, the distant brother who didn't talk to anyone anymore. 

Aleksander considered this, then nodded his head. “He's been through enough pain so far, regarding his immediate family. You can't see him, I want him to have nothing more to do with them.”

There was a confused silence for a moment before Vasile giggled. “Tata, you nodded when you meant no again.”

Aleksander cursed under his breath.

Halina approached. “Hey, Aleks? Yeah, can I call you Aleks? Okay, here's the thing: just cause he doesn't talk to his brothers doesn't mean he doesn't care about them, and whatever the split back when their parents died was like, like, he doesn't need to be cut off from his family because of that. Come on, would you want Vladimir cut off from Vasile like that?”

A protective arm went around Vasile. “It's really in the past. Vincenzo has practically forgotten his brothers, especially after that whole mess with the man who ended up with Lovino...”

“What whole mess?” Elisaveta wanted to know.

Aleksander grimaced, then said, “You don't know? I don't remember his last name, we didn't stay in contact... but he really fought for custody of Lovino. Cut him off from his family. Feliciano doing his own sh—stuff, and then Giovanni taking off for god knows where, it left Vincenzo with no immediate family at the age of ten. Thank god I'd already married Vladimir, because thanks to his relation as a cousin, we were able to take him in and not have him thrown into the system.”

Vasile was sucking on his fingers now. He didn't say anything, the jubilant spark in his eye gone at the moment.

Daina said, “Well, lucky for him. But Lovino still matters too. At least let us talk to Vincenzo.”

Halina came forward before Aleksander could get angry. “Hey, hey, we're not going to do anything horrible. If you want, I could talk to him, cause I'm very pregnant and nonthreatening.”

Elisaveta seemed to be choking back a snort of laughter at that. Daina gave her a glare.

Aleksander was still holding tightly to Vasile, as he considered. He was a nervous sort, Daina knew that much, very much concerned with his family and not much more. Yes, he was a decent person, but he was not the kind who made waves on behalf of someone who wasn't his responsibility. Given how much responsibility he had, however, that was somewhat understandable.

“I leave for one minute to go to the bathroom and you—Elisaveta, you fucking bastard, what are you doing in my house?!” Vladimir had made his appearance. With the crooked teeth that matched his brother's, he seemed to be near snarling.

He was an Omega, but as Daina had seen and Elisaveta knew quite personally, he fought like an Alpha. No fear at all, it seemed.

“Yeah, I'm fucking here. Not to see you, dipshit,” Elisaveta sneered.

He snapped, “Get out! You're not welcome here!”

Daina didn't know the full history. She looked between the two and said, “Can't you get along for a moment? We have a lost Omega to find!”

Vladimir's eyes widened. “But I just sent Vincenzo upstairs with a brownie!”

Aleksander said, patiently, “No, not Vincenzo, his brother, Lovino.”

That made Vladimir go quiet. He put the dishtowel over his shoulder, and picked up Vasile, holding him tightly as the young one contentedly buried his nose in his brother's neck. Vladimir said, softly, “We have to do something, then. We couldn't do something in the past, so we can't ignore it now.”

Aleksander looked uncomfortable. “But what about Vincenzo? He surely doesn't want to remember.”

Vladimir replied, “There are a lot of things I don't want to remember about my parents' incarceration either, but that doesn't mean we just pack it away and never talk about it, right?”

A thin line made up Aleksander's mouth. His soft eyes were on Vasile, and then, just as soft, on his mate, Vladimir. “Fine. Fine, I'll go get him.”

“In the meantime,” Vladimir said, “Everyone gets a brownie. Except you, fucking Elisaveta.”

Daina really hoped that Elisaveta didn't kill Vladimir.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gah, sorry this took so long. I was just too stressed to focus on a long-plot story that wasn't already completely mapped out like the one I based on Henry VIII. I've just been swamped, with work and family stuff. I really hope people still like this story, though.


	10. Chapter 10

Lovino came awake with a moan. His head crackled, his ears ringing as he opened his eyes. What he saw was the ceiling, and his heart seized up as he recognized the popcorn style.

This was Antonio's house. And he was in his master bedroom, in his fucking bed.

He could feel he still had his boxers on, he realized with relief, and it felt as tightly tied as before. He'd done that since he left Antonio, a sort of nervous thing. As in, no, these are staying on, fucker. 

His throat felt dry, and he opened his mouth to take in a breath—only to have Antonio's face loom into his, and his tongue was almost instantly in his mouth. It tasted like bad breath, like spittle flavored with cheap alcohol. He choked, twisting away as hard as he could onto his side.

“No!”

Antonio sighed, still leaning over him. “Lovino, really? You're going to do this to me? You know you make it hard to control myself as it is.”

“I want to go home,” Lovino said, feeling like his body would explode from the pace of his pulse. “I want to go home!”

“You are home, Lovi. You're back, with me, in our house.” His fingers traced along Lovino's scalp, like talons stroking the prey.

“This is not my home, and you are not my mate! Let me leave!” Lovino shouted, trying to leap to his face, but colliding with Antonio instead. His heavy body blocked him, solid and all too real. 

“Oh, my poor one, you are so confused from your faint,” Antonio said, and was he hoping that Lovino did not remember his violence towards him? Was he hoping the faint had wiped Lovino's memory? Because that would be exactly something he would do, no doubt about it.

Lovino tried to twist out from under him, but Antonio grabbed his face with both hands, saying,

“My love, calm down. Just lay back, and Antonio will take care of you.”

There was no doubt in Lovino's mind that 'take care of' actually meant 'have sex with', and accordingly, he ducked down and slammed his head into Antonio stomach.

The Alpha wheezed, breath pushed out of him. He fell back on the bed, gasping, “Lovino, Lovino, you're not supposed to do that!”

But Lovino had other thoughts. He was on his feet, looking for an escape. Like hell he was having Antonio's baby; like hell he was getting stuck here! 

There. The bathroom with the locking door, and the key was on the dresser. In a moment of complete clarity, he grabbed the key and ran for the bathroom with all his might. If Antonio caught on, he seriously hoped it would be far too late.

He heard Antonio fall off the bed behind him, saying, “Lovi, wait just one moment, Lovino!”

He slammed the door behind himself, clicking it shut. The lock was turned in a fraction of a second, and he immediately put his body against the door.

It was a good thing too, because Antonio's full weight hit the door only seconds later. “Lovino! This is ridiculous, come out of the bathroom right now! I'm giving you til the count of three--”

“You can't get in, bastard!” Lovino shouted back, “I have the fucking key! So you can count until you're blue in the face, but you're not getting in here!”

The door shook with a bang, and Antonio growled, “Lovino, get the fuck out of there!”

Lovino realized he was trembling. He clutched the key tightly, and said, “No! Not until you call Gilbert and he comes to the door to take me home! I won't come out until I hear his damn voice, you got that?”

The pounding stopped.

For a moment, Lovino was certain he'd gotten through, that Antonio would give him up. Then he heard laughter.

“Oh, Lovi... How long do you think you're going to last without food? What are you going to eat, soap? Shampoo? Oh, maybe my deodorant, right? At least the world would be rid of a pitiful excuse for an Omega such as you.” 

Lovino shook, clutching his knees to his chest. _I have value,_ he repeated to himself, _I have worth. I am a whole person, worthy of love and--_

“Yeah, so you stay in there, Lovino. You starve. And when you're so hungry you can't think of anything besides sinking your teeth into a juicy burger---yes, greasy junk food that you hate—then you will let me in, and you will carry my baby, and you will never leave this house again! You belong here, with me, nowhere else. No one else wants you.” He heard Antonio give a curt laugh. “We'll see what you think in two days, right?”

Lovino stayed silent, but he could feel the sting of tears as he buried his face into his knees. _I am worthy of love. I am loved. I have value beyond what I've ever imagined._

Antonio gave another laugh, and loudly stalked away from the door.

Lovino wept into his knees, repeating to himself that Ludwig would find him, that he would save him. He would save Lovino, and remind him of who he was, not some weak Omega to be continually pregnant and trapped, but a partner and a loved person and so much more than the sum of reproductive parts.

Ludwig would come. This much he could trust.

The tiny window let in no light yet. He wondered if, when the morning came, he would be awake to greet it.

He hoped that with morning would come Ludwig.

That was the only hope he had at this point.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's short, but that was just the right length for this chapter. I am on a writing frenzy, so this is very awesome to me. Hope you enjoy it! ;)


	11. Chapter 11

Gilbert pulled up to the house. His brothers, Hans and Fritz, and his mate, Sakura, were seated in the car, looking at the unfamiliar house with varying degrees of curiosity and even a bit of disgust.

Hans was first to speak. “Good god, what'd he do to his lawn?”

The light of the streetlamp cast a glow over the lifeless dirt, a few spare blades of grass here and there. But that wasn't all there was to the house; moisture stuck to the windows of the porch, seemingly a greenhouse, and the glow of grow lights sent more light into the yard.

A rock with some sort of religious verse on it sat next to the mailbox, which looked like some sort of Spanish house.

Gilbert wasn't sure whether to assume things had gone downhill for Antonio after high school or not. He got out of the car, sighing and saying, “Well, come on. I don't want midnight to come and us to be standing out here judging his shitty house.”

God, even the siding was falling off. Gilbert walked up to the porch door, and, finding a doorbell, pressed the button. 

There was the faintest sound of chiming. Then, there was the grind of the door as the front door opened, and he could see Antonio, in pajamas, come into the greenhouse. He didn't look tired, and his robe was tied in a sloppy bow around his waist.

“Oh,” Antonio said, as he opened the porch door, “Hey. What's up?”

Gilbert smiled, though it was only to be polite. He acted like he might've when they were friends, saying, “So, buddy, how have you been?”

Antonio grinned instantly, saying, “Oh, you know, so-so. I've got some really beautiful tomatoes in my greenhouse, you want to see? They're the big boy kind, you know, perfect for--”

“Antonio,” Hans said irritably, “We don't want to see your tomatoes.”

“Not even the golden ones?” Antonio asked, looking a little disappointed.

Gilbert put an apologetic look on his face. “No, sorry, buddy.” He stepped a little more forward, saying, “Hey, can we come inside?”

This made Antonio seemed to pause for a fraction of a second; Gilbert wasn't even sure he'd seen it, but then he just shrugged. “Oh, why not? I'll have to get you some of my salsa. I'm not a big fan of spicy food, so it's not very strong, but if you've never had fresh salsa, you're missing out!”

He led the way through the greenhouse, which did seem to be mainly made up of tomato plants, and opened the door to the house.

The place had a dining room with turquoise chairs and table, with a pile of mail on the corner. Behind the dining room, with a dividing wall, was the kitchen, if the glimpse of a white fridge was anything to go on. And the dining room carpet turned into a living room, which was to the side of both the kitchen and the dining room, stretching twice as long.

The furniture was very old. There were dusty knick-knacks everywhere, and bookshelves full of old books, and the occasional new one.

Gilbert felt ill at ease there, and he couldn't quite figure out why. He edged a bit closer to Sakura, feeling as though he needed to protect her.

“Before you freak out,” Antonio said, putting a big bowl of salsa, all reds and greens, onto the table, “I'd better tell you. After you called, Lovino showed up. Don't know how he got here or what was going on, but he was crying and just a mess. I think I even caught the scent of another Alpha on him.”

“Is he here?” Gilbert said, shock hitting him as he realized he could smell Lovino's scent here.

“No. After I calmed him down, you know, gave him something good to eat and wrapped him in a blanket, he kept insisting he had to go to your apartment. Wouldn't stay still at all. So, since my car's lights are burned out, and he really seemed to think it was urgent, I got the neighbors next door to take him. They just left a little while ago, should be there in about ten minutes, I would guess.” Antonio sighed, picking up the bowl of salsa. “You probably don't have time for any.”

Fritz was the first to speak, saying, “You're sure they went to Gilbert's apartment?”

“Yes! I gave them the directions myself!” Antonio seemed bright about it, but then it cleared for a more serious look. “I'm worried about him. He just wouldn't stop shaking!”

Gilbert exchanged looks with Sakura. He knew she would know he was asking her opinion on the matter. She seemed to send him a look like she didn't know what to make of it.

“How do we know you didn't hurt him?” Hans demanded, a sterner tone than his brothers. 

Antonio's eyes widened in shock. “ _Me?_ I wouldn't hurt Lovino. I love him. Well, platonically. We were married, you know—I told Gilbert this. But it was something arranged by my father, and Lovino was very unhappy with the idea. We grew to like each other, after we married, but, uh...” He made a grimace. “We were never all that sexually compatible, you know? So, I let him go. My father put out a missing persons on him, but then he died of cancer. So I let it be.”

He shrugged again. “I guess he feels kind of secure with me, and that's why he came back here. You know, like some older brother.”

Gilbert looked over at Hans. There was something ill at ease on his brother's face, the way he frowned at Antonio.

Sakura was silent. This could be a sign something was off, but she didn't know what.

Hans had another thing to say. “If we find your scent all over him, you know what's going to happen.”

Antonio waved his hands in front of himself, saying, “Oh, no, no, that would never happen! I heard something about the Naturists saying to respect an Omega's space? Yeah, I try to do that.”

'Naturism' was the name of the movement to provide equal rights to all, regardless of nature. Gilbert had heard it mixed up with 'Naturalism,' which was advocating for the environment and clean energy, but that was a tangent.

Hans obviously wasn't completely convinced, and something set Gilbert's nerves on edge too. However, Gilbert had always gotten that slightly creepy vibe from Antonio, and in high school, it had been pretty minimal, mostly stuff like talking about seeing people's underwear or some shit like that. Antonio was not as bad as he might sometimes seem.

Gilbert patted his former friend on the shoulder. “Hey, thanks. Hopefully, we should be able to make him feel safe; he's always been kinda nervous, huh?”

Antonio nodded. “Yeah, kind of nervous all the time. But, you know, hysteria and all that. Hey, will you let me know when you reach him? I'd like to know if he made it and all.”

Gilbert nodded. “Will do.”

They walked out, Antonio giving them a yawning, 'Good night!'

As soon as the door shut behind them, and Antonio was back in the house and not the greenhouse, Hans grabbed Gilbert's arm. “You don't seriously believe him, do you?”

“Well, I've known him a while... he really isn't _that_ much of a creep.” Gilbert pulled his arm free, and climbed into his car.

“Fritz, I bet you a hundred dollars that Lovino is not there,” Hans said darkly, the tone very different from his usual, cheerful attitude. When he was serious, he was dead serious.

Fritz said, “Uh, no thanks. Just talk to Gilbert if you have an issue.”

Gilbert turned the key in the ignition. “We'll find out if he's telling the truth soon enough. It's only about fifteen minutes to my place, you know.”

“Then it'd take a half an hour to get back here. Don't you think that's too big of a risk?” Hans seemed set on finding the negative in the situation. 

“Hans, do you really think in this day and age someone we know is going to, what, tape him to the toilet and keep him there? Relax. This fits right in with what we know: Lovino couldn't reach me, so he called Antonio. Then, like Ludwig probably told him, he got transportation to my home. Simple as that,” Gilbert said with a sigh.

“You, of all fucking people, know how people treat Omegas in 'this day and age.'” Hans was sitting in the front seat this time, to argue with him.

Gilbert put the car in reverse with a decided click. “It's not what you think it is. Antonio is not some crazy person.”

“Oh yeah? I'm calling Makena.”

“Sure, Hans, if that makes you happy,” Gilbert sighed.

Yes, he'd heard horrible stories, but those were crazy people, drunk on power. Antonio was happy, kinda stupid, and only mildly creepy. Chances were, he was telling the truth.

Chances were.

He uneasily backed out of the driveway, and onto the road. They would know for sure in fifteen minutes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's really hard to think someone we know as a good or at least harmless person is capable of doing something really horrible, so I hope I've captured that feeling. And Kenya will show up as a speaking character soon!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, Lovino's situation is realized. But will it be too late?

Vincenzo had come down when called, something of a sleepy look on his face. Neither Aleksander nor Vladimir had anything to say about that, though there were crumbs of brownie in the corner of his mouth. He looked sweet, the kind and easygoing version of Lovino, perhaps. Almost any of his brothers could be considered the sweeter and kinder version, in Elisaveta's mind.

“Yeah? What's going on?” Vincenzo was a baby-faced angel, looking around the room innocently. He had that bit of chub to his cheeks that Lovino lacked.

They were seated on the couches and loveseat, the place having once been the gathering point for a large extended family. Vladimir scooted over, making space between himself and Aleksander. “Come sit with us, please.”

He said it like an idiot, like some saint. It made Elisaveta annoyed, and not just because of everyone getting a brownie but her.

Vincenzo sat, looking warily over at the Elisaveta and the people who'd come with her. “Is... did someone die?”

Vasile came through on the floor then, pushing a small plastic bus. It made almost a quacking noise, loud and obnoxious. “We gotta get to school! What do you mean, school? I'm an Omega, I just stay home and do chores!”

Vladimir looked pained, or constipated. “Vasile. Come sit on big brother's lap, okay?”

Vasile hopped up, a delighted look on his face. He jumped onto Vladimir's lap, a pained grunt coming from Vladimir as Vasile kneed his thigh.

Good for Vasile.

“We don't think anyone's dead, Vincenzo,” Elisaveta said kindly. She didn't want to scare him, after all, even if it was technically a possibility. “We just wanted to know if you knew where Lovino is.”

“With Ludwig Beilschmidt. He doesn't leave the apartment much, but I talk to him on the phone sometimes. It's really lucky he's okay now.” The answer from Vincenzo was clearly more forthcoming than anyone had expected.

“You talk to him?” Aleksander said in surprise.

Vincenzo nodded. “Yes. He called me back about two years ago, said he was on the street but free. I tried to talk him into coming here, but he said that was the first place they'd look,” Vincenzo said, nodding as he talked.

“'They?'” Daina said, dread clear in her voice.

“Yeah. His husband, his husband's brother, and his father-in-law, you know.” Vincenzo didn't seem to realize that he knew things they didn't, instead earnestly looking at them and still not noticing the brownie bits.

Elisaveta felt a gnawing dread in her stomach. This could only be bad. "Vincenzo, did he call you tonight?"

Vincenzo shook his head. "No... Well, he might've. He didn't reach me, though. And I, uh... He knows Aleks doesn't like him, so he only calls when he's at work."

Aleks spluttered, saying, "I don't dislike him! Vincenzo, I thought... I thought it would be too painful for you to talk with him, I was just... Ugh." He buried his face in his hands, seeming very upset with this messup.

Vasile chirped, "I wanna nother brownie, please please please?”

Vladimir gave him a kiss on the side of the head, murmuring, “Go crazy, little guy.”

Vasile cheered and ran into the kitchen.

Flipping out his phone in the meantime, Vincenzo checked. “No, no calls. Not even a text, though he doesn't usually do those because that's clear evidence.”

“I...” Aleks said miserably, “I didn't mean to do this. Vincenzo, I wouldn't let your brother get hurt for talking to you! If I'd known he needed a place to stay--”

“Hey. Let's focus, okay?” Daina said, standing abruptly. “Tell us more about his husband. Why did he have to escape him, and his brother and father-in-law?”

Vincenzo got a very serious look on his face. “He was afraid they'd make him come back. They were running his life before, he wasn't even allowed to leave the house. He was really scared of them, too, when he called me two years ago, he sounded like he was crying.”

Aleks looked absolutely despondent.

Elisaveta decided to take over. “Vincenzo, do you think it's possible that this husband... Antonio Carriedo Fernandez, right?” Vincenzo nodded. “Do you think it's possible he's forced him to come back?”

Vincenzo shook his head vigorously. “He would never tell him where he was. That bastard—I mean, bad guy, was always trying to make him pregnant so he'd be trapped there. He'd force him to have sex with him all the time, even when Lovino didn't want to and no matter what he did. Lovino would only contact him if he was truly desperate.”

Elisaveta exchanged looks with Daina. 

Daina spoke first. “We're worried he's been kidnapped. He went missing from outside the police station after Ludwig was held there for a crime he didn't commit. Is it possible he could be desperate enough to call Antonio if he was trapped in his underclothes in the city at night with no one else to help him?”

Vincenzo was quiet. He had a fearful look on his face. “He might. He really might, oh god, we have to find him!” He was up on his feet instantly, face a look of distress.

Aleks stood as well, saying, “Vincenzo, you're not getting mixed up in that! They can find him, you don't even know where to start--”

Elisaveta stood as well. She could see Halina move to do it too, but struggling due to her large belly. Raivis wasn't paying attention at all, chewing on his brownie still and staring at the picture of a saint on the wall. To be fair, it was a picture of a saint who'd been behead and tortured, so there were a lot of interesting details to the picture, but still...

“Raivis!” Daina said, giving Halina a hand up, “We need to contact the others.”

Raivis scrambled to get a fancy cell phone out of his pocket, handing it off to Daina. If Elisaveta had to guess, she'd say it was Daina's to begin with and Raivis was playing with it.

“No, I'll call them,” Elisaveta said, and she dialed up Gilbert, despite Daina's glare. She was met with the message that the person was not available and there was no room left in his voice mail box.

Daina gave her a superior look, and dialed someone else. “Hey, Eduard. You guys already make it to Carriedo Fernandez? Yeah, turn the fuck around right now.”

Vladimir seemed to wince at the language, glancing at the kitchen.

“Yeah, we'll meet you there, it's like ten minutes from here. I'll bring my machete.”

Daina slid her finger across her phone screen, shutting it down. “Come on. We have to get there.”

Elisaveta just followed, rolling her eyes at Daina's attitude. Yes, she was afraid for Lovino, but Daina didn't need to act like she owned the place.

Raivis followed after her as well, with Halina.

“I want to go!” Vincenzo pleaded with his guardian, already hurrying to move after the four. Aleks, however, caught his arms, saying, 

“No! Who knows what that crazy bastard will do to you!”

“He's my brother! You can't expect me to stand by! Vladimir, please, tell him! You wouldn't let him hold you back from Vasile!” Vincenzo sounded like he was near tears, not fighting Aleks's grip, but still tense.

Elisaveta paused, looking back to see if he would join them.

“I won't let you be put in danger,” Aleksander insisted.

Vladimir put a hand on his shoulder. “Just go with him. Please, Aleks, you know he can't ignore his brother, not again.”

Aleksander fought internally, it seemed, for a short while. “But... it's dangerous for an Omega...”

“Please, Aleks. For me, if not because you understand,” Vladimir pleaded on Vincenzo's behalf.

Finally, Aleks gave in. “There's enough room in your car?” he said to Elisaveta.

“Yeah. Come on!” 

They raced out to the minivan, and piled in. As they pulled out of the driveway, Elisaveta could see Vladimir standing in the window, a crumby-faced Vasile on his hip as they watched half the family leave.

God, he looked so stupid.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Antonio is certain no one will find Lovino where he's taking him.

Lovino was not sure how long he had been in the bathroom. Some of his nerves had calmed down, and he got up every so often to drink water from the faucet. He felt like he was losing warmth, something that often happened to Omegas when they were stressed.

Almost out of habit, he retied his boxer strings to a tighter knot. He clenched his teeth, trying to keep from crying again. He wasn’t sure how he was going to get out of this, but thank god that there was no way that Antonio could get through the solid door.

This had happened before. Every time, Antonio would come back with soft, kind words, saying he didn’t mean anything he’d said before and _Please come out, Lovi, I love you._

He’d also stick something savory and hot next to the door, so Lovino could smell it, and Lovino would give in and come out.

Well, not today. No, he had more hope this time, the chance that Antonio would be forced to call Gilbert and have him come over. He would have to let Lovino go, because he didn’t want him to starve...right?

Lovino could hear the footsteps as they clomped up next to the door. Here came the sweet words, the kindness that so many people thought Antonio had...

But no words came. Instead, there was a thunk, and the door started shaking and then there was a strange sound that Lovino had never heard before.

It sounded horrible, like a car getting skinned.

Lovino threw himself away from the door, eyes wide with terror. Just what the fuck was going on?

He saw with horror that the door was coming loose, a noise of wood breaking coming through. Holy fuck, Antonio couldn’t be seriously taking apart the door... could he?

But, as the hinges were torn off and the door destroyed, Lovino could see it was true. The door clattered against the tiles, and there stood Antonio, a huge metal tool in his hands that looked like some sort of overpowered clamp. His expression was not kind.

“Lovino,” he said severely, “We are leaving. Right now.”

Lovino screamed when he dropped the tool and came at him. “No! No, stop, I don’t want to go with you!”

“Make up your mind,” Antonio snapped, easily hauling Lovino over his shoulder. “First you want to leave here, now you want to stay... it’s a good thing Omegas don’t vote.”

Lovino clawed at his back, and this brought a snarl and a sharp slap to his sore hip.

“Stop that! I’m your husband, Lovino, you are not to fight me!” And he headed out of the bathroom.

Flailing, Lovino tried everything he could to break free, fists banging against Antonio’s back through the throb of his hip, his aching face, legs kicking wildly, and body twisting in Antonio’s grip. “No! Put me the fuck down!”

Antonio punched him in the side, an act that made Lovino gasp in pain, stilling for a few seconds. It felt like his rib had broken, and it sent throbs in achingly painful bursts up his torso.

That was all that Antonio needed. He put Lovino in the backseat of his car. “Stay still, or I will punch you again.”

But Lovino didn’t. Somehow, he knew if he didn’t escape now, there was no hope. He struggled to get past Antonio, but he was shoved back down onto the seat.

Then there was the sound of duct tape, and his wrists were bound together, the hands completely covered by duct tape so he couldn’t grab anything.

Lovino screamed with all his might, trying to kick Antonio, but Antonio had pinned his legs. 

Antonio flipped him over, and he could feel the duct tape being liberally wrapped around his ankles, sticking them across each other.

He was still screaming, and he realized wildly he could pick up Gilbert’s and Sakura’s scents, among others, and despair struck him like a thunder clap—they’d been here. They missed him.

“Hey! Hey, you bastard, stop it!” It was Maximo, dreads flying behind him as he came running up the driveway. Matthew was on his heels.

Antonio placed a long strip of duct tape over Lovino’s mouth, after forcing his chin up so his mouth shut. “Shut the hell up! I can do whatever I want!”

Then the unthinkable happened: Maximo slammed his fist into Antonio, knocking his face to the side.

Lovino could feel his breath coming quickly through his nose, his eyes wide and stinging with tears. He struggled against the duct tape, but found it impossible to break.

Antonio’s face was dark like a devil’s, true rage on it. He seized Maximo’s hair, slamming a fist into his face—there was the sound of a crack, of Maximo crying out in pain. Lovino strained to watched, but he saw Maximo clutching his face with one hand and wildly swinging with the other.

Antonio kneed him in the gut, and that was when Matthew dove into the fight, jumping on Antonio’s back and pulling his hair, shouting something or other, it sounded French.

Maximo fell to his knees, gasping for breath, and Lovino couldn’t see if his nose was bleeding. He struggled harder, knowing that this was his opportunity, that his fellow Omegas were trying to help him. To his frustration and despair, the duct tape did not allow movement, as thickly layered as it was, and the best he could do was get to a sitting position.

Still, as Antonio grappled with Matthew, he edged towards the edge of the seat, intending to fall out and crawl away. Anything was a better chance than staying in the car.

Matthew was thrown off, and his skull cracked loudly against the pavement. He didn’t move.

Maximo screamed, “Matthew! Matthew, my god, Matthew!” He was quick to get to his mate’s side, and just as he started saying frantically that they needed something, _now_ , can’t anyone see he’s _bleeding_ , Lovino fell out of the car.

He collided with the concrete painfully. His heart hammered in his chest, scared for his kind neighbors and himself. He could see the red stain in Matthew’s hair from where he was, and Maximo’s panic—didn’t the idiot know that he needed to stop up the blood, not freak out? Good god, someone had to do _something_ , or else Matthew would die!

Lovino’s thoughts were interrupted, as Antonio seized him and put him back in the car. “Stay,” he growled, slamming the door shut.

Lovino fought very hard not to hyperventilate or weep; he was afraid he would suffocate. He couldn't see, but he could hear Maximo’s panicked voice as he begged Antonio to call the emergency services, surely, hopefully, stopping up the blood. 

Antonio let out a short laugh. “Call them yourself. Let’s hope they realize what you are and lock you up in an asylum.” He got into the driver’s seat, and slammed the door shut.

Lovino must have been audible in his crying, because Antonio turned on loud salsa music, and backed out of the driveway sharply.

Lovino felt like all hope was being left behind.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's split into three POV in this chapter.

Hans was angry. His blood boiled at the thought that they had been tricked, that Antonio was hurting Lovino or had even hurt him beyond repair. He didn't want to think about what an abusive, territorial Alpha could do to an Omega like Lovino.

“Hans, deep breaths,” Makena said through the phone, and her voice held anger in it too, but her voice was soothing to him anyway. She was his mate, after all.

“I am taking deep breaths, I'm just going to kill him, that's all,” Hans said, fingers tight and sweaty on his phone.

He could see Gilbert gripping the wheel, cursing to himself and breaking speed limits. He could feel Sakura's protective concern in the back, barely masked anger at the treatment of Lovino. She was always able to look calm when she wasn't.

Fritz was gripping the back of his seat, as if looking up through the windshield would get them there faster. “God, I hope the kid's okay. He really doesn't deserve any of this.”

Eduard was on his phone. They didn't know what he was doing.

“I know. I know, love,” Makena said softly. “But what's important right now is protecting Lovino, not taking out vengeance on Antonio.”

The car whipped around the corner.

“I mean, Ludwig trusted us, and we let him down! That bastard could be doing _anything_ to Lovino, could have already done anything to Lovino! Goddamnit, I'm going to fucking kill him!”

“I know, Hans,” Makena said, “Keep me on the line. I know Omega rape first aid, okay? I'll walk you through it if that's necessary. We'll have to pray it's not.”

Hans growled involuntarily.

He knew that it was Makena's work. She took care of Omega rape victims, and god knew it often wasn't pretty. Theoretically, an Omega could naturally 'lube themselves up' enough that there wouldn't be tearing, but that was not always the case, besides which, in cases of rape, Alphas, and even male Betas, were often very violent.

It was a power thing. If it had been only a sex thing, they wouldn't be forcing it.

And god knew that Alphas enjoyed being high on power.

Lovino could be torn, could have internal bleeding, could be suffering from shock... He didn't want to think much about it, but Hans knew he might have to face it.

The thought of Daina's machete felt more and more right in this case.

They pulled up to the house at the same time Daina's minivan did.

Everyone piled out, but they only saw two people in the driveway, neither of which were Antonio or Lovino. Instead, it was a dark, large man and a blond, pale one. Hans could already pick up their Omega scents from where he was.

Sakura was there first, checking the blond man, who was pale and only looking around in confusion as his friend was in hysterics.

Gilbert got there second, saying, “Where's Antonio? Where's Lovino?”

The black man, who was holding his shaking hands on the blond man's head, where blood was evident, said, “I don't know, I don't know! Oh god, please, do something, he'll die!”

“Keep the pressure on the wound,” Sakura said, voice calm. “You're doing a good job so far.”

Fritz was already on his phone, calling an ambulance.

“What's going on? What happened?” Makena's voice came into Hans's ear, and he replied,

“It looks like Antonio's been here, but he's gone now. He attacked a different Omega—don't worry, Fritz's calling 911.”

He didn't want the Omega to die. In fact, it made his gut boil to think that Antonio had hurt someone else. But of course, that did leave the rather vital question: where was Antonio, and more importantly, Lovino?

“What's your name? Both of you, tell me your names,” Sakura said gently.

“I'm Maximo.”

“M-Matthew...”

“Okay, Maximo, Matthew, how about both of you take some deep breaths, okay?”

“Sakura, ask them where Antonio took Lovino.” Gilbert was watching with a sharp eye, as though they might let it slip by accident.

But before Sakura could ask, Maximo already had something to say.

“We don't know! He's gone, and he hates us, so we have no idea where he'd go! Goddamnit, fucking hell!” Maximo growled, tears prickling in his eyes. “That bastard deserves to die!”

Daina drew her machete. “That can be arranged.”

“Daina, goddamnit--”

“Wait, so Antonio's taken Lovino somewhere secret? On short notice?” Makena's voice carried through the phone once more.

“Yeah. The Omegas don't know where, though. I mean, fucking hell, none of us know him that well!” Hans was getting the urge to snap his phone in two.

He was quite glad he didn't in the next second, because Makena said,

“I think I know where.”

“What? Seriously? Where?” Hans listened intently.

“His hidden 'wonderland'-- it's hidden behind the baseball diamond at Green Park, in the trees. It's hardly a jog from here—and at a full-out sprint--”

“No! No, Makena, don't you even think about it!” Hans's voice took on a frantic note. Makena was capable, sure, but she was an Omega against a dangerous Alpha. And alone, too.

“I'm going to go over there. Meet me there, I'll take the baseball bat, okay?”

“No, Makena, that is not okay! You wait right at--”

“I love you, but Lovino's life is at stake. I have to go. Goodbye!” The click was deafening.

“Goddamnit!” Hans shouted. “We know where he's going, come on, get in the car!”

“But Matthew and Maximo--” Sakura started.

“Halina, Raivis, Eduard, and Fritz can stay with them, okay? Now let's go!” Hans was already climbing into the passenger seat, blood pumping through his veins fast but feeling like ice.

Makena could not be serious. She could not seriously mean to take on Antonio alone.

Gilbert got in the driver's seat, saying, “You know where?”

Daina and Sakura got in the back, followed by Vincenzo and Aleksander.

“Yes! Green Park, the baseball diamond, fucking step on it!”

They swerved out of the driveway, and Gilbert once again ignored traffic laws.

–

Ludwig was fortunate.

Apparently, _someone_ up top recognized the bullshit charges for what they were, and let him go. Still, it was the middle of the night, edging towards morning, and he knew it would be a scared Lovino he would return to.

Thank god, however, that Lovino was not seriously hurt. Ludwig was glad for having family that would look out for their own.

He flipped open his phone, dialing Gilbert.

It took several rings, but to be fair, Gilbert was probably sleeping.

“Hello?” Sakura answered the phone. This was not, and was never, a good sign.

“Sakura? What's Gilbert doing that he can't answer the phone?” Ludwig asked, already feeling a stress knot seeming to form at the base of his neck.

“He's driving. How are you calling?”

“But he always answers the phone when he's driving. I was let out; please tell me what's going on.” Ludwig steeled himself. Driving at this time of night? So important that Gilbert couldn't answer the phone? Nothing was right here.

Sakura hesitated, then she admitted, “Lovino's in a lot of danger right now. His old mate--”

“--has him,” Ludwig finished with a growl. “Where is he?”

“Green Park, behind the baseball diamond—Hans says Makena might already be there, so--”

“I'll get there,” Ludwig said grimly. He didn't know if he was closer or not, but he knew Green Park was pretty damn close, especially by cab.

He managed to get one quickly, and headed for the park, anger boiling in his gut.

Antonio might just die that night.

–

Lovino was sure he'd never been more terrified in his life. He was jolted in the back seat as Antonio took sharp turns, and slammed into the seat in front of him when the car came to an abrupt stop.

Antonio put the car in park, and got out.

Lovino's heart hammered in his chest, and he struggled against the duct tape. No use, same as it had been for the past minutes.

As the passenger door opened, he whimpered out something, he wasn't sure what, maybe an apology, a plea, something that would appease Antonio if he wasn't wearing a gag.

Antonio hefted him over his shoulder anyway, ignoring his grunt. “You thought you could leave. Just leave me, all alone. With my fucking father.”

He threw Lovino onto the ground, which was hard and had bumpy roots that dug into his spine. Lovino thought he was at least in a park, but he had no idea which one.

He tried to say something, struggling with the duct tape again as he was sure he would wet himself at any moment.

“Lovino, you know what my dad is like,” Antonio growled, leaning into his face. Lovino flinched back. “You know how he felt about you running away the first couple times. You know how he reacted. That scar he cut in your back? What the fuck do you think he did to mine when you got away for good?”

He flicked out a knife, making Lovino cringe away with a whimper.

For now, Antonio cut through his clothes, leaving him horribly and chillingly naked. He tried to bring his legs up to at least protect his privates from view, but Antonio just laughed.

“Oh, the great whore cares about modesty now, does he?” He ran his fingers along the raised scar on Lovino's back, a touch all too invasive and sensitive, and which made Lovino burst into unwanted tears. The scar was long, about six inches, and a whitish color.

“You think that's bad?” Antonio ripped off his own shirt, and he turned around. “Take a look at this, and then tell me you suffered so much.”

It was a series of scars, all raised, all pinkish. About four were there, longer than Lovino's. Antonio turned around, glaring at Lovino. “You fucking prick. You only think about yourself, as always. I tried to fix things every fucking time you ran away, but you always had to make it worse!”

Lovino shook his head. He _had_ to escape, he was in a lot of danger there, from both Antonio and Antonio's father.

“Yeah, sure. All I ever did was love you, Lovino. That was all I ever did. That was all I ever wanted to do.”

Lovino's eyes were brimming over with tears. Didn't he get that he'd inflicted as much pain as his father? Didn't he understand that forcing himself on Lovino every night was just as bad? What about the scars Antonio himself had left, from the nail mark ones to the tiny, healed scar on his forehead that had gushed blood until Lovino had passed out?

It wasn't the truth. That was never love.

Antonio delicately traced Lovino's cheek. He thumbed away one of his tears, leaving the rest where they were. “I just tried to fix it. But you're a selfish bastard, as always, and you refuse to let it be fixed. Damnit, Lovino, why can't we just have our family back?”

_You know why_ , Lovino wanted to shout. Antonio should know exactly why.

“Well,” Antonio said with a sigh, “This'll be our last time, then. Better make it count, right?”

Lovino's blood froze in his veins. His positive side was saying this meant that Antonio would let him go; the side that knew Antonio insisted it was something much more sinister.

Antonio's hand reached for between Lovino's legs, as he took off the gag at the same time in order to kiss him.

“No,” Lovino gasped, as soon as the gag was off. “No, no, please! Antonio, I didn't do it to hurt you, I just needed to save me! I couldn't--”

He was cut off by Antonio's lips. This time, Antonio started at first with nipping, then painful biting, drawing blood on Lovino's lips, despite Lovino's attempts to turn his head away.

As Antonio released his face, Lovino was sobbing.

“Oh, shut up. I'm going to at least make this pleasurable for you... to an extent.” Antonio suddenly sniffed the air, and then a positively predatory look came onto his face. “Oh... your heat has started, hasn't it?”

Lovino's eyes widened with horror. In his terror, he hadn't even noticed the beginnings of it, but now that it was mentioned, he could feel his body betraying him, arousal starting to take over every sense. “No... no no no... Please, Antonio--”

Antonio laughed. His hand darted to between Lovino's legs, and much to Lovino's humiliation, it felt fucking _good_.

It made him sob, trying to twist out of Antonio's touch.

He hated himself. He hated being an Omega, the fact that he craved this touch even as he felt like vomiting.

“How do you think Ludwig would feel about this?” Antonio said with a grin. “Do you think he'd realize what a whore you are? Do you think he'd still want you?”

Lovino's breath was coming in gasps. He let out a desperate scream, horribly tinged with arousal.

“Huh. You never were much of a screamer,” Antonio commented, even as Lovino writhed under his touch.

God, god, this couldn't be happening. “Ludwig! Ludwig! Help me! Please, for the love of god--”

“Ludwig can't hear you,” Antonio said smugly, and he leaned in to kiss Lovino once more.

“No one can hear you.”


	15. THE END

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things come to an end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about this taking so long.

The screaming cut through the night like a beacon, and Makena was following it.

She couldn’t know for certain it was Lovino, but anyone screaming like that would get her help anyway. Her boyfriend’s words echoed in her ears, his concern for her safety.

‘Please forgive me,’ she thought to herself, though she wasn’t apologetic.

Just because she was an Omega didn’t mean she should sit by. It didn’t mean she couldn’t fight. And the baseball bat she carried with her was not for show, and hadn’t been for a while.

She found them.

A tall Alpha was over Lovino, who was wailing, waves of distress through the air—and the scent of a beginning heat.

“Oh, shush. We both know you like it,” came the smug voice, something that turned Makena’s stomach.

She remembered Antonio. He’d always come off as slightly creepy.

Now, that was tenfold.

“Hey!” she shouted, wielding the baseball bat threateningly, keeping about ten feet between them. “Get off of him!”

Antonio drew up to his full height, seemingly ignoring Lovino sobbing on the ground. The Omega looked like hell, naked and bound and littered with bruises and scrapes. He was shaking, Makena noted.

And now, Antonio was looking at her like a wolf that had spotted a sheep. “Makena, is it? I remember you. You were so cute, except for the part where you called me an asshole. You do know I touched your ass by accident, right?”

Makena barely remembered that at this point, but apparently Antonio had kept track. She wielded the baseball bat more forcefully. “Just stop. Sit down on the ground. The others will be here very soon.”

“Oh? How soon?” Antonio’s eyes glinted, like he could calculate the minutes.

“Sooner than you’d like, I’m sure,” Makena responded.

Suddenly, his face morphed, the very picture of remorse and apology. “Makena, I wasn’t trying to scare you. I’m just trying to help Lovi, he--”

Any pretense at that was shattered by Lovino screaming the word ‘no’ over and over, gasping sobs in between.

Antonio dropped it, kicking Lovino hard so he’d shut up. Makena’s skin crawled as the look came onto his face that said he was done playing around.

“Fine. Have it your way. I’m not going to let either of you fucking ruin _my_ family, you understand?”

He came at her.

Makena’s heart pounded in her chest, and she swung the baseball bat, jumping back at the same time.

Antonio was _fast_ , was furious, was oozing terrifying Alpha hormones.

Makena wasn’t sure if she’d ever been this frightened in her entire life, and that powered her hands into swinging the goddamn bat for all she was worth. Her safety and Lovino’s depended on it.

–

“Can’t this damn car go any faster?!”

Hans was shouting, and that really wasn’t helping the situation. Vincenzo could feel himself cringing, could feel how much the shouting was not helping, but he had to stay calm.

His brother needed him. 

And he hadn’t been able to help him at all before. He needed to stay calm.

Aleksander seemed to be on edge next to him, and probably debating whether or not they should have stayed home.

Lovino had to be terrified. Vincenzo could still remember his voice whenever he’d call, even after he got out. He still remembered his fear at being ‘fostered’ by that awful man.

He didn’t blame Giovanni or Feliciano for running. No one wanted to deal with the fallout of their parents’ deaths.

To be fair, Feliciano had not been in the country. He was in art school. And to leave would be to give up on being an artist forever. And Giovanni…?

Well, Vincenzo still couldn’t be mad. Not with the way he’d secretly been relieved that he hadn’t been the one taken by that man. Not with the way he’d woken up with sheer guilt just drowning him at remembering his initial relief.

Lovino had cried to him in private. They’d hugged so tight, he thought Lovino would pop his head off. He’d be gone in the morning, Vincenzo had known, and he’d hugged back, unable to face where Lovino might be going and that he might be gone forever.

Then life had settled in. He was still in his old home, but with new faces. Aleksander was a little like his dad, and Vladimir more so, and Vasile like a new little brother he’d never had. The child had shown up without complete toilet training or the ability to brush his teeth, and so Vincenzo had been able to look away from the tragedy of his family being broken apart and at the new family being melded together.

He would never know for sure if he could have done more, or if he’d been selfish.

Now was the chance to try to make it right, to try to save him when he couldn’t before.

And now, they were stopped at a red light.

–

She’d led him off into the woods, within hearing distance still, voice sounds and crashes and everything that made Lovino’s heart hammer in his chest.

As it was, he was gnawing away at the bonds on his wrists. He had to get free, there was no doubt he would be in a better situation with his hands free. The duct tape tasted awful, but he didn’t really care right that second. He had a chunk of it lodged in his teeth now, a bit of saliva falling down his chin as he worked desperately.

If he didn’t get free, and she didn’t win, it was over.

And he really didn’t want to think about what over meant.

He tore the tape the rest of the way, wrists apart at least, even if his hands were still balled up inside the duct tape. His eyes darted around for something sharp, trying hard to remember if Antonio had miraculously left a knife or something. 

The knife. The one Antonio used to cut off his clothes. It was right there, even unfolded and blade easily accessible.

Lovino scrambled over to it, and managed to pick up the handle between his wrists. Then, thanking god he was flexible enough, he shakily pressed the blade to the duct tape wrapped around his ankles, using his mouth to steady it and ignoring the screaming of his muscles.

It was hard. Knives weren’t designed to be easy to use this way, and this knife was no exception.

Lovino was sure he wouldn’t have bothered with this method if it weren’t life or death.

It was too slow, and his heart was pounding in his chest and tears were coming to his eyes, trying in vain to get a sense of where Antonio was and how much time he had left.

Finally, though, there was one last desperate cut that slashed open his ankle. He barely felt that, as the crash of someone coming through the trees made him leap to his feet in terror and start to run.

His wrist was seized, and he _screamed_ , thrashing and sending one of his duct tape fists towards the assailant.

He was rewarded with a blow to his face, stars seeming to jar his entire brain.

“Lovi,” came the dark tone, “You made me have to stab an innocent Omega girl. You ought to be ashamed.”

Oh god. _Oh god._ Was she dead? Had Antonio murdered her too? How many people would he hurt to get to Lovino?

He had blood streaked down the side of his head, mixed with a thick sheen of sweat, Lovino realized. Antonio looked like shit—and like the goddamn devil, as he yanked Lovino to him.

“Please,” Lovino sobbed, uncertain what mercy he was begging for.

“Sh, sh...” Antonio said, like he meant to be comforting, holding Lovino’s face in one hand, grip just a bit too tight to be comforting.

‘Sh’ was not a promise of anything, though.

–

Sweat trickled down Ludwig’s back. He’d been dropped off just outside the park, and he was racing through.

God help Antonio when he found him.

–

Gilbert could have killed.

Not only was Hans shouting at him, but traffic was backed up. Daina’s murderous rage was wafting from the back, as was Aleksander’s panic.

It was only Sakura keeping a tight grip on his wrist that kept him from screaming back or wrecklessly driving through the jam.

He could see her jaw was tight in the rearview mirror. He could see she was pale. But she was focused on grounding him, on keeping him thinking things through instead of rushing.

Instead of a blind panic.

And he knew he couldn’t blame Hans for freaking the fuck out that Makena was facing down Antonio alone.

Every second wasted was one that she could be dead. Or that Lovino could be.

And Gilbert knew he’d throw up over the idea if he weren’t so focused on just getting there in time.

–

He had him on the ground. The dirt was so cold, and Lovino was shaking violently.

He could still feel the sticky tears on his cheeks, but he couldn’t quite feel his lips. He was whimpering, but he found he couldn’t force much more than soft sounds through his throat as Antonio moved him like a rag doll.

His head hurt so bad. 

Foggy words made it through. “You’ll see, Lovi, when you have my child, you’ll see we were meant to be together. We’re married. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me, sweet little tomato.”

Lips pressed against his forehead, and the vague remembrance that Antonio was only this kind when he stopped fighting made his heart twist and continue to pitter patter in his chest.

His head _hurt_.

So did his ankle.

He tried to speak, to tell Antonio that, no, this wasn’t how it was supposed to be, he couldn’t have a child, not with _him_ , but instead all that came out were more tears rolling down his cheeks.

And his head would not stop _hurting._

–

“Ludwig!” the harsh whisper caught his attention.

Makena.

He rushed to her, seeing her clutching a baseball bat and her side. She was wincing, and there was some darkness around her side. Ludwig was given answers before he could demand them, though.

“Bastard stabbed me, but he’s behind the baseball diamond. Go!”

“What about--” Ludwig started, seeing that she was clearly hurt.

“I said go! I’m following, but I can’t go as fast, and I can’t do this alone, okay? Go on!”

Makena always had a clear head in an emergency, and Ludwig quickly accepted her plan. He charged towards the baseball diamond.

–

The minivan whipped into the parking lot, and Hans was out of the van before it even stopped.

The rest piled out, heading on foot for the baseball diamond.

–

Lovino was vaguely aware of what was happening. He could feel Antonio’s calloused and rough hands on him, could feel how wrong this was and how badly he wanted Ludwig, but he could barely move except to cry.

And Antonio kept determinedly wiping away his tears and touching him. Kept kissing him with his wet and wrong lips, kept moving him against his will.

He was too naked. He was too cold.

–

Ludwig came upon the scene before him, and barely hesitated to take it in—he knew it would be seared on his brain forever.

Antonio was over Lovino, who was pale, bleeding a bit from the head, and feebly shaking his head, body shaking. He looked small and so beaten down, and his soft sobs were audible over Antonio’s heavy-breathed words.

Ludwig’s blood might have boiled out of his body at the red rage that seemed to overtake his mind. He came forward at a sprint, and slammed into Antonio, sending him off of Lovino and hard into a tree.

He followed him, sending a foot into his gut, as Antonio started to shout out that Lovino was his mate, they were _married_ , how _dare_ Ludwig do this--

Ludwig punched him in the face, and Antonio _screamed_. His nose had a strange shape to it now, and blood started to drip down onto his lower lip.

And that wasn’t where Ludwig stopped, pummeling the man that had tormented Lovino for so long, that Lovino had woke up in cold sweats about. The man that had taken advantage of Ludwig being in prison and done this, this unspeakable horror to his mate--

It was only the feeble plea from Lovino that brought Ludwig back. That made him pull back his blood spattered fists and drop Antonio. His eyes still burned, and he still wanted to kick the life out of this terrible excuse for a human being.

But Lovino was trying to turn over, trying to reach him, and he couldn’t ignore him.

Antonio, slumped against the tree and breathing heavily, was not much of a threat.

“You move, you die,” Ludwig growled, meaning every word.

Antonio didn’t move.

So Ludwig dropped down next to Lovino, swiftly removing his jacket and wrapping him in it, cradling him.

New tears were coursing down Lovino’s face, as his hands, covered in duct tape, were brought up as if to try to hold on to Ludwig.

He was trembling so hard, and Ludwig carefully pulled him close, murmuring, “You’re safe. You’re safe now, I promise. He can’t hurt you now.”

Lovino seemed to believe him, letting out a sob as he buried his face in Ludwig’s chest. The back of his head was sticky with blood, and Ludwig was reminded, as his wrath faded and his sensible side took over, that Lovino needed medical care—and so did Makena.

He swiftly peeled apart the duct tape on Lovino’s hands, and picked him up.

“He’ll never really leave me,” Antonio huffed out, voice tight as it forced its way from his battered body. “Not really. We’re meant to be--”

“Would you like me to kill you?” Ludwig could see the flinch from Antonio. “Because I will do what I have to to protect Lovino.”

Something inside of him suggested actually doing it. Putting this to rest forever. He didn’t know that he’d get away with it, but the idea was so tempting as Lovino shuddered in his arms, bare skin so chilly to the touch.

It would be nice to see Antonio be the one to suffer instead.

Antonio swallowed noisily, saying nothing. His eyes held a wild but restrained fear.

“I thought not. You can be certain, though,” Ludwig continued, enunciating every syllable crisply, uncertain that he would be able to continue speaking instead of beating the shit out of Antonio if he didn’t force it, “If you come anywhere near him again, I will kill you. I won’t hesitate. If you pose even the slightest threat to him, I will end you. So don’t give me the opportunity.”

Antonio didn’t agree, but he didn’t say anything at all, angry but defeated tears seeming to come to his eyes. Suddenly, he growled, “Am I supposed to be alone my entire life? It’s not fucking fair, he’s my spouse--!”

“What’s not fucking fair is being an orphan and being forced to put up with continual rape and abuse for no other reason than an Alpha felt like it! And if you want to feel some fairness, keep speaking, I will kick your teeth in!” Ludwig roared at him. The rage at Antonio presuming he was the victim here had his blood boiling, had red in his vision. He very well might have gone to kick the bastard’s teeth in had he not felt Lovino clutch his shirt at that moment.

He remembered that his first priority was Lovino, and turned to leave. 

They would never see Antonio again.

–

In the weeks that followed, the shakeup of their relationships and feelings and so on was very evident.

Lovino, for one, got far more positive attention than he’d ever been used to. Elisaveta’s wife, Sophie, stopped by every morning to cook him breakfast, little Klaus in tow. The white-haired boy was every bit as meticulous and artistic as his mother, and so breakfast was a lengthy ordeal to make, but not to present.

Daina stood guard over Lovino for the first week, Halina in the background tidying up and being generally cheerful and catching the things that Raivis accidentally knocked down while trying to help.

They held more of their meetings and such at Ludwig and Lovino’s apartment, so Ludwig would have to leave Lovino alone much less often.

Vincenzo and even Feliciano reconnected with their brother and each other. Ludwig didn’t listen in on what they talked about, but he got the impression it was very raw and very private. All of them had been hit hard by being orphaned, even if in different ways.

Makena recovered from her stab wound, and was actually rather proud of it, despite how scary the visit to the ER had been. It would scar. She was okay with that, saying it was earned for a very good cause.

And in spite of everything, of so many unfixed corruptions and evils in their lives, things seemed to get better. 

Even that little house in the outskirts of town, with trees and space, was something Ludwig and Lovino were able to reach.

Lovino would never describe it as utterly perfect, or himself completely healed, but he did know that he was happy to be where he was, and he was loved. And that was enough for now, as he healed from the scars of his past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this is a satisfactory ending. I haven't been in the Hetalia fandom for a while now, but I felt finishing this story at least would be good. I hope it isn't a terrible ending.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
